DataBreaches.Net

Menu
  • About
  • Breach Notification Laws
  • Privacy Policy
  • Transparency Report
Menu

Third man associated with #Anonymous in Australia Pleads Guilty to Reduced Charges

Posted on December 23, 2015February 4, 2025 by Dissent

CORRECTED: Adam Bennett, aka “Lorax,” was arrested in May, 2014, during the same time period that other members of Anonymous is Australia were arrested. DataBreaches.net has reported on the other two men: Mathew Hutchison (aka Rax) and a third person (aka Juzzy, Absantos, etc.). Information on Bennett’s case was difficult to obtain as the prosecution kept changing the charges. Now Raincoaster reports elsewhere that a plea deal of sorts has been reached and sentencing will be in March 2016. Because there are no plea deals in AU, I wound up deleting her material post-publication as it suggested some sort of deal when there was none.

According to a spokesperson for FreeAnons who has spoken directly with Adam and his wife,  many of the 22 charges Adam faced were thrown out due to lack of evidence. There was no plea deal. Adam pleaded guilty to six remaining charges where the evidence against him made it likely he would be convicted if he went to trial. Five of those charges were for being complicit to a crime, and one related to when he pentested his employer’s system for the Heartbleed vulnerability. Being complicit to a crime, while serious, is a lot less serious than the original charges he faced, and it suggests that again, the prosecutors didn’t have enough evidence to make any more serious charge stick.

The last charge, related to the pentesting, seems outrageous not only to Adam’s many supporters, but to security professionals who would like to see more employees testing their employer’s system for vulnerabilities.

The Free Anon spokesperson tells DataBreaches.net that given his history of community service and many positive contributions to society, Adam and his supporters remain hopeful that he will receive a non-custodial sentence.

 Update: on February 4, 2025, this post was edited to remove the real name of one person as he not only served his time but then turned his life around despite all the challenges of overcoming the bad press and reputation he had built.  DataBreaches wishes him the best of luck in his new job and career. 

Related posts:

  • Thirty-six Defendants Indicted for Alleged Roles in Transnational Criminal Organization Responsible for More than $530 Million in Losses from Cybercrimes
  • Forbes Breach Email Statistics
  • TeamGhostShell posts “master list” of 548 leaks (so far)
  • What OPSEC? Member of “thedarkoverlord” allegedly used his personal details to set up hacking and extortion-related accounts.
Category: Business SectorGovernment SectorNon-U.S.

Post navigation

← NY dermatologist notifies patients after email error exposes PHI
Feds widen probe into lottery IT boss who rooted game for profit →

2 thoughts on “Third man associated with #Anonymous in Australia Pleads Guilty to Reduced Charges”

  1. andre says:
    December 24, 2015 at 2:22 am

    Grace and dignity if ever i have seen it put into words.

    1. andre says:
      December 24, 2015 at 2:27 am

      Break it to them gently. No charges. Period!
      Let them struggle with it for a while. Then in return for their freedom we turn jails into homeless shelters

Comments are closed.

Now more than ever

"Stand with Ukraine:" above raised hands. The illustration is in blue and yellow, the colors of Ukraine's flag.

Search

Browse by Categories

Recent Posts

  • Mississippi Law Firm Sues Cyber Insurer Over Coverage for Scam
  • Ukrainian Hackers Wipe 47TB of Data from Top Russian Military Drone Supplier
  • Computer Whiz Gets Suspended Sentence over 2019 Revenue Agency Data Breach
  • Ministry of Defence data breach timeline
  • Hackers Can Remotely Trigger the Brakes on American Trains and the Problem Has Been Ignored for Years
  • Ransomware in Italy, strike at the Diskstation gang: hacker group leader arrested in Milan
  • A year after cyber attack, Columbus could invest $23M in cybersecurity upgrades
  • Gravity Forms Breach Hits 1M WordPress Sites
  • Stormous claims to have protected health info on 600,000 patients of North Country Healthcare. The patient data appears fake. (2)
  • Back from the Brink: District Court Clears Air Regarding Individualized Damages Assessment in Data Breach Cases

No, You Can’t Buy a Post or an Interview

This site does not accept sponsored posts or link-back arrangements. Inquiries about either are ignored.

And despite what some trolls may try to claim: DataBreaches has never accepted even one dime to interview or report on anyone. Nor will DataBreaches ever pay anyone for data or to interview them.

Want to Get Our RSS Feed?

Grab it here:

https://databreaches.net/feed/

RSS Recent Posts on PogoWasRight.org

  • The EU’s Plan To Ban Private Messaging Could Have a Global Impact (Plus: What To Do About It)
  • A Balancing Act: Privacy Issues And Responding to A Federal Subpoena Investigating Transgender Care
  • Here’s What a Reproductive Police State Looks Like
  • Meta investors, Zuckerberg to square off at $8 billion trial over alleged privacy violations
  • Australian law is now clearer about clinicians’ discretion to tell our patients’ relatives about their genetic risk
  • The ICO’s AI and biometrics strategy
  • Trump Border Czar Boasts ICE Can ‘Briefly Detain’ People Based On ‘Physical Appearance’

Have a News Tip?

Email: Tips[at]DataBreaches.net

Signal: +1 516-776-7756

Contact Me

Email: info[at]databreaches.net

Mastodon: Infosec.Exchange/@PogoWasRight

Signal: +1 516-776-7756

DMCA Concern: dmca[at]databreaches.net
© 2009 – 2025 DataBreaches.net and DataBreaches LLC. All rights reserved.