A vulnerable autistic man is pleading with the UK government to block his extradition to the US on cybercrime charges where he faces a 52-year sentence for alleged offending that began when he was a child.
Diogo Santos Coelho, who has been assessed as at very high risk of suicide, said he had been groomed and exploited online by adults from the age of 14 into committing the alleged crimes, which relate to the website RaidForums.
Coelho is accused of being the administrator of RaidForums, described in court as “a marketplace for individuals to buy and sell stolen databases” with about 10bn stolen records.
I thought it was suspicious that the article doesn’t mention anything about what he’s been charged with. So I looked him up. Seems he made a lot of money from running a major hacking forum that traded in stolen credentials, credit card fraud, and other online crime. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RaidForums
Lmao
Should he be tried in the country he committed the alleged crimes?
That’s what extradition is for.
I’m just wondering how shitty the lives are of the people whose SSN and credit card numbers he sold were made by his actions? Now he’s trying to talk about how bad the US justice system is, all while trying to hide behind the defense of being autistic - almost like he’s implying that people with autism are incapable of handling basic responsibilities or privileges.
I think the credit card companies cover that usually. I suppose the question is if you are in the UK hacking a US account where is the crime taking place?
Groomed and exploited
To become a hacker?
Kinda feel bad for the guy though.
Yeah I mean the language of grooming and exploitation tends not to be associated with hacking. However a 14 yo without any friends and a difficult home life starts getting admiration from a peer group for hacking into systems could soon lead to them getting drawn into greater illegal acts to gain approval.
While it has real consequences, I think hacking can feel a little less real than breaking into a bank, especially for kids. I am certain if the money spent by the authorities in 52 years incarceration was invested into rehabilitation, society would benefit much more.
