A Mission Viejo, California man was taken into federal custody this morning after being charged with hacking into several NASA computers and using stolen credit card numbers to purchase electronic equipment, United States Attorney Alejandro N. Mayorkas announced.

Jason Allen Diekman, 20, was taken into federal custody this morning after he was transferred from an Orange County jail, where he was held since August 20 on unrelated state charges of theft and failure to appear.  The federal charges against Diekman were filed on July 26 and were recently unsealed. An affidavit by a special agent with NASA's Office of Inspector General alleges that Diekman illegally accessed government computers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, NASA computers at Stanford University, and numerous other government and university computer systems.

The NASA computer systems at Stanford contained sensitive satellite flight control software used to control NASA satellites.  Diekman, who for the past two years used the nicknames “Shadow Knight” and “Dark Lord,” allegedly gained unauthorized “root-level” access to at least three computer systems at JPL. This hacking activity gave him control over all aspects of the computers, including the ability to modify files and alter security on the systems.
According to the affidavit, Diekman used JPL’s computers to intercept electronic communications on the JPL systems, launch attacks on other computer systems, and run Internet Relay Chat software. IRC, a form of real-time communications on the Internet, was used by Diekman to communicate with other hackers and to trade information. Diekman’s IRC software allowed him to control his own “channel” that was running on JPL computers.

Diekman is also accused of gaining unauthorized access to approximately two dozen computers at Stanford University. Among those systems were two NASA-owned systems that contained control software for various NASA satellites.  Diekman is alleged to have caused over $17,000 in damage to the systems at Stanford alone.  Federal agents have discovered evidence on Diekman’s computers indicating that he intercepted usernames and passwords from universities that include Harvard University in Massachusetts. The affidavit also states that Diekman admitted to investigators that he has hacked into “hundreds, maybe thousands” of computers including systems at JPL, Stanford, Harvard, Cornell University, the California State University at Fullerton, and University of California campuses in Los Angeles and San Diego.

“Computer hacking poses one of the most significant threats to this nation's technological infrastructure,” said United States Attorney Mayorkas. “Unauthorized access to government computers is a crime and we are prepared to do battle with hackers in cyberspace".  Diekman is charged in a criminal complaint with one count of intentional unauthorized access of government computers and one count of knowingly transmitting a program, code and command that intentionally caused damage to a computer.

 Diekman is also charged with one count of possessing unauthorized access devices – in this case approximately 500 unauthorized credit cards numbers – and one count of using some of those devices to make unauthorized purchases.
During a search of Diekman's residence, federal agents discovered approximately 500 stolen Visa, MasterCard and other credit card numbers on Diekman’s computer. The investigators also discovered IRC chat logs that describe Diekman’s “carding” activities. Carding is a term used by hackers to describe the use of stolen credit card information to purchase items or services.  Diekman allegedly used the stolen credit cards to purchase more than $6,000 worth of computer equipment, stereo speakers and clothing.

In an unrelated case, Diekman was arrested for grand theft by Orange County authorities for allegedly stealing power supplies from Cox Cable and storing them at his home in Mission Viejo. Diekman failed to appear at a court hearing in July, which led to an additional charge against him. He was arrested on the theft and failure to appear charges on August 20, 2000. After pleading guilty, he was sentenced to 75 days in county jail. After federal authorities filed a writ, Diekman was transferred to federal custody this morning.

Diekman is scheduled to make his first court appearance this afternoon before a United States Magistrate Judge in Room 1439 of the Roybal Federal Building, 255 East Temple in downtown Los Angeles.  The three felony and one misdemeanor counts in the criminal complaint carry a maximum sentence of 26 years in federal prison and fines of up to $750,000.  A criminal complaint contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. A defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

This case is being investigated by special agents of NASA’s Office of Inspector General, who received assistance from special agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, San Francisco Field Office.

CONTACT: Assistant United States Attorney Arif Alikhan
Computer and Telecommunications Crime Coordinator
(213) 894-2476