He faces up to five years in prison for the hacking — and 20 for the child pornography.
Bad Stuff
In June 2019, FBI agents raided the home of 21-year-old Californian Ryan Hernandez, whom they suspected of hacking multiple servers owned by multinational gaming company Nintendo.
On the devices they seized, the FBI found thousands of confidential Nintendo files confirming their suspicions, according to a newly released statement from the Department of Justice — as well as a folder directory labeled "Bad Stuff" that contained more than a thousand images and videos of child pornography.
Fair Warning
Hernandez has been hacking Nintendo for years.
In 2016, he used a phishing technique to gain access to confidential Nintendo files and then leaked information on the company's Switch console to the public prior to its release. The following year, the FBI contacted Hernandez and his parents to warn him to stop hacking Nintendo, which the then-minor promised he would do.
That could've been the end of it. But Hernandez resumed his hacking activity in 2018, leading to the recent raid of his home and the discovery of the child pornography.
Guilty as Charged
According to the DOJ statement, Hernandez pled guilty to charges relating to both the hacking and the possession of child pornography and will face a judge for sentencing on April 21.
He also agreed to pay Nintendo $259,323 in restitution and now faces up to five years in jail for computer fraud and abuse — but he could end up behind bars for much longer given that the child pornography charges carry a possible maximum sentence of 20 years.
READ MORE: The guy who knew Nintendo’s Switch surprise ahead of time has pled guilty to hacking [The Verge]
More on child pornography: Agents Bust Massive Child Porn Site by Tracking Bitcoin Payments
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