Fergie's Tech Blog

Julie Amero Sentencing Delayed Until April

Robert Lemos writes on SecurityFocus:

For the second time this month, a Connecticut court has delayed the sentencing hearing of Julie Amero, the substitute teacher found guilty of four counts of risking injury to a minor for allowing pornographic pop-up ads to be displayed on her classroom's computer.

The charges stem from a incident in October 2004, when Amero's spyware-infested computer displayed the pop-up ads, some of which were seen by students. On January 5 of this year, a jury found Amero guilty of four counts on risking injury to a minor, which could result in a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison. The delay moves Amero's sentencing to April 26, according to the Hartford Courant.

Security researchers and other technologists have increasingly criticized the case, saying that prosecutors blamed Amero for the acts of one or more spyware programs. A group of security experts have performed an in-depth forensics analysis of an image of Amero's hard drive and have delivered the report to her defense attorney.

posted by Fergie @ 3/28/2007 10:50:00 AM