Defense Of The Nerds

When hackers are charged with online mischief, Tor Ekeland is their guy.

- Aj Vicens

OVER SOGGY scrambled eggs at the Hyatt Regency in Lexington, Kentucky, Tor Ekeland is doing his best to cheer up Deric Lostutter, a 30-year-old hacker who is about to be sentenced to federal prison. “It’s terrifying,” Lostutter says.

“It is what it is,” replies Ekeland, a fast-talking 48-year-old lawyer who sports a neatly trimmed beard and a crisp blue suit for this morning’s hearing. “You’re going to know what your future is going to be after today. You know what I mean?”

Some four years earlier, Lostutter, a member of the hacker collective Anonymous, went after local authorities in Steubenville, Ohio, who he believed were covering up the rape of an unconscious 16-year-old girl by high school football players. He and another man hacked into the team’s fan site and posted a video in which Lostutter, wearing a Guy Fawkes mask, threatened to dox the players and local officials (post their private information online) if they didn’t apologize to the girl. The hack and its aftermath helped rebrand Anonymous as a force for legitimate activism. Not only were the rapists convicted, but an investigation led to the convictions of three school employees (on charges ranging from allowing underage drinking to obstructing official business). Lostutter pleaded guilty to lying to an FBI agent and violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA).