Barry Ardolf, 46, repeatedly hacked into the Wi-Fi network of his neighbours, Matt and Bethany Kostolnik, as part of an elaborate revenge scheme after they reported him to police for kissing their four-year-old son.
He created fake email accounts and online profiles in their name and used them to harass superiors and co-workers and send death threats to US Vice President Joe Biden.
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In court documents the prosecution argued Ardolf was a "dangerous man" who sought revenge on his neighbours in a "bizarre and calculated campaign of terror against them".He "inflicted unfathomable psychic damage" on them, expressed no remorse for his action and had in fact previously been caught terrorising a former neighbour.
"He had stolen a former neighbor's mail, hacked into their wireless system, stolen personal financial data off their computers, and sent threats intended to terrify them - all because the personal care attendants for the neighbor's disabled daughters parked in front of Ardolf's house," the US Government attorneys wrote.
The case comes after another US man was raided by heavily armed federal agents earlier this year after someone else used his wireless network to access child pornography.
It is understood there have been cases in Australia where people have used others' Wi-Fi networks to commit fraud and child abuse offences, however, specific examples were not immediately available.
'We've just moved next door to a pedophile'
The Kostolniks moved into their "dream home" in August with their two children, both under five years old, and another baby on the way.
Their four-year-old son, W.K, wandered into Ardolf's yard to climb on an inviting play set and Ardolf began to play with the boy, repeatedly saying "bet you can't touch me".
Soon after, Ardolf planted a "wet kiss" on W.K, prompting Bethany to pull him inside. She ran upstairs crying, telling her husband "we've just moved next door to a pedophile".
Ardolf admitted to the kiss when confronted by Matt, who then reported the incident to police. This was apparently the incident that set Ardolf off and prompted him to begin his campaign of Wi-Fi terror.
Recounting in court how Ardolf had made life hell for her family over two years, Bethany Kostolnik reportedly said: "My husband and I had to explain to our young, innocent children way too early that there are evil people in the world - and to never go in Barry Ardolf's yard."
In November 2008, Ardolf is believed to have slashed the tires on the Kostolniks' car and created fake email accounts and a MySpace page in Matt's name.
'You are such a fox'
In February 2009, he used password-cracking software to gain access to their wireless router and he was then able to access the family's computers and use the internet as though he was in their house.
Also in February Ardolf, via the Kostolniks' router, accessed a Yahoo email account he created in Matt's named and, posing as him, sent suggestive emails and child pornography to his coworkers.
"You are such a fox ... I wouldn't mind at all if you wanted to sneak me a kiss when nobody is looking," read one email sent to Matt's administrative assistant Brenda Murphy.
The child pornography showed graphic images of minors engaged in sex acts and the files were labelled with names such as "Matt's Kids.jpg".
The same images were uploaded to the bogus Matt Kostolnik MySpace page.
In March 2009 the chair of Kostolnik's environment law practice group and another colleague received an email purportedly from a woman alleging Matt made sexual advances against her.
These were later found to have been sent by Ardolf and resulted in an outside firm being hired to conduct a full investigation into Kostolnik's computer and network.
A forensic investigator found the Kostolniks' wireless network was protected with encryption but had been accessed by an unknown computer.
Secret Service come knocking
In April and May 2009 the Secret Service visited Matt at his workplace after receiving an email from a Yahoo address in his name that contained a death threat against the US Vice President. The same email was sent to multiple public officials.
"I swear to God I'm going to kill you," part of the email to Biden read.
Further Secret Service and FBI investigations uncovered Ardolf's actions and authorities soon obtained a search warrant for his house, which was carried out on July 21 2009.
The search found reams of evidence implicating Ardolf in creating the fake email accounts and sending the nasty messages.
There was also a dossier of information on Bethany alongside a plan to target her co-workers, more evidence of harassment of Matt and a collection of books with instructions on breaking wireless network encryption.
One draft email which was to be sent to Bethany from a fictitious woman read: "I know your husband Matt, he is a lawyer of course. [W]e had sex just before you had your baby this past fall."
Previous neighbours also targeted
Ardolf, who had been terminated from his job as a technician at medical devices company Medtronic, was also found during the search to have committed similar acts against his former neighbours.
In June 2010 he agreed to plead guilty in exchange for a two- to five-year sentence. But just before the plea hearing Ardolf fired and replaced his lawyer and decided to withdraw from his agreement to plead guilty.
He was released briefly but taken into custody in July for breaking release conditions that he not use a computer.
On December 17 2010, three days into his trial, Ardolf plead guilty on all counts with which he was charged.
Then, in March this year, he moved to withdraw his guilty plea arguing his was coerced. But the prosecuting US attorney rejected his requests to arrange another deal and held him to the plea.
Ardolf was also caught coaching his family on how to reply to questions in court and give other evidence.
US District Judge Donovan Frank, after listening to the tearful testimony of Bethany Kostolnik, sentenced Ardolf this week to 18 years in jail.
His attorney Kevin O'Brien told Wired that "it was a lengthy sentence for a first-time offender".
Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/im-going-to-kill-you-neighbour-from-hell-hacker-gets-18-years-jail-20110714-1hfb9.html#ixzz1S3ds5u31
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