A Minnesota man has admitted to hacking into state government databases in 2017 in retaliation for the acquittal of a police officer in the fatal shooting of a black motorist, Philando Castile.
Cameron Thomas Crowley pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of intentional access to a protected computer. In exchange, four other counts will be dismissed. Prosecutors and defense attorneys agreed to a sentence of five years' probation, but the judge ultimately will decide the sentence.
The 20-year-old Crowley admitted he used the online name "Vigilance" to attack government databases that contained identifying information of hundreds of people. At the time, he said he did it because former St. Anthony police officer Jeronimo Yanez was acquitted in the 2016 shooting death of Castile.
Crowley apologized in court, saying his actions hurt others who had nothing to do with Castile's death.