Society

27-year-old Kevin D. was sentenced to an effective three-year prison term by the Mechelen correctional court. The Flemish hacker had broken into the systems of American Airlines in 2022. He thus booked 20 free tickets in business class, which he ultimately did not use. He also provided himself with access to personnel data. 

The Belgian had hacked into American Airlines' computer system. The court in Texas issued an international arrest warrant, but Belgium did not comply. The Belgian hacker from Mechelen was arrested in Italy while attending a soccer match there. He spent nearly a year in an Italian cell and an extradition to the U.S. was only narrowly avoided. And now D. must answer for hacking the ticket website of the Antwerp Sportpaleis.

After all, in Texas, D. risks 22 to 45 years in prison, depending on how the law is interpreted. The extradition procedure could be avoided because the facts happened from Belgium and he was already on trial here for them. The Belgian court sentenced him to three years in prison and D. was surrendered to Belgium. And now he has to answer in Belgium for new facts.

The Belgian manipulated a website where tickets could be bought for events in the Antwerp Sportpaleis. He managed to get viptickets without paying for them. The hacking came to light and Kevin D. ended up in jail again. He has since been released on conditions, but has yet to be punished for these new offenses. As a teenager, he once hacked a movie theater complex and managed to book an entire auditorium for himself and a friend. He also hacked the computer system of Brussels Airlines.

Does he ever learn his lesson?

(SR for Tagtik/Illustration picture: Unsplash)