When Can a Person Be Charged With Computer Crimes or Hacking in Connecticut?

 Posted on June 03, 2020 in Criminal Defense

During your daily routine, you come into contact with a wide variety of computers and electronic devices. These may include cell phones, smart appliances, AI digital assistants, vehicles, home security systems, and much more. Computers play a huge role in our daily lives, and they often contain secure and personal information that is meant to be private. To address privacy concerns and ensure that sensitive data remains secure, there are laws in place that protect this information and punish those who commit computer crimes, or “hacking.” In Connecticut, computer crimes are addressed in the state’s criminal statutes, and there are a variety of actions and situations that could result in these types of charges.

What Constitutes Computer Crime?

According to the Connecticut criminal statute, there are five ways you can be charged with computer crime. Computer crime occurs when a person:

• Accesses or causes to be accessed a computer system for which he or she has no authorization to access;
• Accesses or otherwise uses a computer system for the purpose of gaining unauthorized computer services;
• Intentionally or recklessly disrupts or denies computer services to an authorized user of a computer system;
• Misuses computer system information through actions such as copying confidential data, deleting or damaging computer system data, or receiving or retaining data obtained through unauthorized access; or
• Intentionally or recklessly destroys, tampers with, takes, alters, damages, or otherwise ruins any equipment used in a computer system.

Degrees of Computer Crime

Computer crimes are grouped into five different degrees based on the value of the property or computer services that were allegedly damaged or stolen. Fifth-degree computer crimes involving damages or theft of less than $500 will be charged as a Class B misdemeanor. The charges for higher-value property or services, with the most serious offense being first-degree computer crimes involving damages of theft of more than $10,000. This is a Class B felony, and a conviction can result in a prison sentence of up to 20 years.

Our Knowledgeable Connecticut Computer Crime Defense Lawyer Can Help

If you have been charged with a computer crime, you may be facing either misdemeanor or felony charges, and a conviction could result in serious consequences that can affect you for the rest of your life. At the Woolf Law Firm, LLC, we have experience representing clients facing allegations of multiple different types of computer crimes. If you are accused of committing one of these offenses, contact our Hartford, CT criminal defense attorney today. To schedule a free consultation, call us at 860-290-8690.

Sources:

https://www.cga.ct.gov/current/pub/chap_952.htm#sec_53a-250

https://www.cga.ct.gov/current/pub/chap_952.htm#sec_53a-35a