Minecode CEO Sentenced for Sabotage

Bruce V. Bigelow4/30/09

A federal judge today ordered the CEO of a Bellevue, WA, computer programming and Web design company to pay at least $264,000 in fines and restitution and to serve 90 days’ home confinement for an alleged act of cyberspace sabotage. According to the U.S. Attorney’s office in Seattle, Minecode CEO Pradyumna Samal ordered a Minecode employee to send computer commands that completely deleted a customer’s website, e-mail server, and its customer database in retaliation over a contract dispute. Vinado, an e-commerce wine-seller, had hired Minecode to develop a “virtual gift shop” for its website. The cyberspace sabotage cost Vinado more than $115,000 and forced the company out of business.

Bruce V. Bigelow is the editor of Xconomy San Diego. You can e-mail him at bbigelow@xconomy.com or call (619) 669-8788