A Message From "Free Barrett Brown" Concerning Michael Hastings

Free Barrett Brown sends its condolences to the friends and family of Michael Hastings who died in a fiery car crash early Tuesday morning. Hastings was a fearless journalist who questioned power. He was a friend of Barrett's and an active member of Project PM, a crowd-sourced research effort to expose government intelligence contractors. We deeply mourn his passing.

Barrett defended Hastings' award winning journalism in his Vanity Fair piece, "Why The Hacks Hate Michael Hastings." He was candid about their friendship—warning the reader:

"I should note—not only in the interest of full disclosure, but also necessary context—that I am a friend and admirer of Michael Hastings

, the author of the Rolling Stone piece in question. He was kind enough to blurb my upcoming book on the failures of the American punditry (and is planning on writing a novel on the same topic, incidentally); he shares my opinions on the state of journalism and opinion in this country; and he has joined up with Project PM, my perhaps quixotic attempt to do a small part in improving that media whose flawed reporting on matters of war and peace has recently had a hand in leaving hundreds of thousands dead and injured our republic’s ability to rationally operate both at home and abroad. I first spoke in support of Hastings before I’d ever made contact with him, which is to say that my opinion of him is not based on our association; my association with him is based on my opinion of him. That opinion is derived from the unassailable and unfortunately noteworthy competence and conduct he has displayed throughout his relatively short career."

Barrett also blurbed Hastings' second book, The Operators: The Wild and Terrifying Inside Story of America's War in Afghanistan, calling it, "The most impact-laden story of the year . . . written by a perfect specimen of the new breed of journalist-commentator."

In support of Barrett, Hastings wrote: “Barrett Brown is a journalist, plain and simple. He’s also a colleague and friend, and one of the brilliant, if highly unconventional, American writers of his generation. I offer my support to Barrett and his family, and respectfully ask for his immediate release from custody.” He believed Barrett's work helped contribute to a free press.

Before his untimely death, Hastings was working on a story about Barrett, announcing mysteriously to his followers "Get ready for your mind to be blown." Hastings had been in touch with Barrett's lawyers, and intended to interview him in June for the story. Barrett has been in prison for 281 days pending trial, and faces over a hundred years imprisonment for what Hastings called "trumped up FBI charges regarding his legitimate reportorial inquiry into the political collective known sometimes as Anonymous."

The loss of Michael Hastings is a tremendous blow to adversarial journalism, but the circumstances surrounding his death leave many questions unanswered. Michael believed he was under FBI investigation at the time of his death, and that his calls with Barrett were being recorded.

We're raising money for Barrett's defense. Donate.

Please send press inquiries to press@freebarrettbrown.org.

Twitter / Facebook / freebarrettbrown.org

Ky Anonymous/Deric Lostutter Under Public Fire

Submitted by Don Carpenter on Mon, 06/17/2013 - 11:19

Re-blogged on 20 June 2013

Link to original: http://mobilebroadcastnews.com/NewsRoom/Don-Carpenter/Ky-AnonymousDeric-Lostutter-Under-Public-Fire?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+MobileBroadcastNews+(Mobile+Broadcast+News Reprinted with the gracious permission of the author.  

6 months ago, thousands of people rallied behind the man known only (then) as KY Anonymous and #knightsec as he rallied the world behind a 16 year old rape victim in Steubenville, Ohio. The tactics then were aggressive weaponizing the media, and posting countless tweets regarding some individuals involved and quite a few not involved in the Steubenville rape case. 2 boys were already charged and on house arrest when anonymous got involved, but the goal was to alert the world to the graphic details behind the story. Some of those details were false or grossly exaggerated by either Ky or his supporters, but the goal nonetheless was to produce public outrage over the shaming of this girl.

The mission to weaponize the media and produce such outrage was accomplished. Thousands rallied in Steubenville. Media from across the world camped out in Steubenville. Ky did some media interviews, and eventually the 2 boys charged were tried and sentenced in a court of law. #oprollredroll was over and a success according to the initial goals set out in the beginning. Everyone touted the Knightsec/KY banner for over 6 months until the last few days after Ky unmasked as Deric Lostutter revelaing the feds had raided his home gathering evidence on the rollredroll.com website hack that his partner Batcat aka Noah Mchugh did. It appears that Noah, a defense department employee will not be charged with any crimes. Noah is preparing for his wedding while Deric(KY) is facing 25 years in prison for his role in #oprollredroll. A grand jury has been convened in Steubenville and is hearing evidence on 16 individuals who refused to cooperate during the initial August 2012 rape investigation, and will determine if other crimes were commited during said investigation.

Deric after unmasking began seeking donations for his legal defense, but soon after raising over $40,000 alot of his supporters began turning on him as he proceeded to do dozens of interviews. Deric/KY was soon attacked on twitter as a "fame whore, ego fag, fake, fraud" and worse descriptions that we won't get into here. There has also been countless youtube videos made by Deric in which he uses satire to make fun of women, food stamps and more that are now being used against the boy in the public's eyes.

People quickly began forgetting how Deric/Ky started #oprollredroll as a means to not only stand up for a rape victim, but for a cause he believed in which entailed speaking out against crimes and a situation in a small Ohio town that he believed was wrong. That is something that this country was founded upon, and something people continue to fight for to this very day. The right to stand up for yourself, and the right to stand up and speak out against things you believe are wrong. The right to risk your freedom, and everything you have to speak out against the government, and stand up for your beliefs.

Over the weekend, Deric/Ky clearly beginning to feel the pressure of his pending legal troubles and the constant attacks of his once supporters/now haters, Deric according to his tweets got drunk, and began fighting back against those trash talking him on social media. This went on for hours until, Commander X attorney Jay Leiderman stepped in and advised the 26 year old Kentucky rapper to hush up, and take a break from twitter. Ky took the advice touting some kind of special announcement later today on the Jake Tapper show on CNN.

The entire thing reminds me of a Captain America dissertation on Mark Twain during the Marvel civil war series in which Captain America was labeled a criminal by the government for standing against laws he felt to be unconstitutional. The quotes are as follows:

"I remember the first time I really understood what it was to be an American...What it was to be a patriot." 

"I was just a kid...A million years ago, it seems sometimes. Maybe twelve. I was reading Mark Twain. And he wrote something that struck me right down to my core...something so powerful, so true, that it changed my life. I memorized it so I could repeat it to myself, over and over across the years. He wrote --'In a republic, who is the country? 

Is it the government which is for the moment in the saddle? Why, the government is merely a temporary servant: it cannot be its prerogative to determine what is right and what is wrong, and decide who is a patriot and who isn't. It's function is to obey orders, not originate them. 

Who, then is the country? Is it the newspaper? Is it the pulpit? Why, these are mere parts of the country, not the whole of it, they have not command, they have only their little share in the command. 

In a monarchy, the king and his family are the country: In a republic it is the common voice of the people each of you, for himself, by himself and on his own responsibility, must speak. 

It is a solemn and weighty responsibility, and not lightly to be flung aside at the bullying of pulpit, press, government, or the empty catchphrases of politicians. 

Each must for himself alone decide what is right and what is wrong, and which course is patriotic and which isn't. You cannot shirk this and be a man. 

To decide it against your convictions is to be an unqualified and inexcusable traitor, both to yourself and to your country, let men label you as they may. 

If you alone of all the nation shall decide one way, and that way be the right way according to your convictions of the right, you have your duty by yourself and by your country. Hold up your head. You have nothing to be ashamed of'." 

Cap continues, "Doesn't matter what the press says. Doesn't matter what the politicians or the mobs say. Doesn't matter if the whole country decides that something wrong is something right.  

This nation was founded on one principle above all else: The requirement that we stand up for what we believe, no matter the odds or the consequences. When the mob and the press and the whole world tell you to move, your job is to plant yourself like a tree besides the river of truth, and tell the whole world-- 

--No,you move."

That's a very powerful speech, and Deric has remained vocal since coming back into the public light. Many people fault him for that, but what if it was you. Would you remain silent facing 25 years in prison while your partner, a government employee gets away scott free? Would you not weaponize the media again to get your side of the story out there? After knowingly risking your freedom by speaking out and conducting various other anon ops not want a little help from your comrades, and to let the public know what is going on?

I personally have no dog in this fight, and can't wait until the Steubenville drama is over. i may not have agreed with all the tactics used during #oprollredroll, but as I was reporting it I couldn't say that. I will say that I am fully behind the idea that is anonymous. The rights to stand up for what you believe in no matter what the cost.

I also feel that not just KY should be facing prison time as it pertains to the Steubenville case if the government wants to go after anonymous, and conduct by individuals during the course of this drama. So far, Ky is the biggest fish nabbed by the feds, but there were bomb threats made against local schools in steubenville (suspected by what one Steubenville Law enforcement official on grounds of anonymity describes as  "locals who just wanted to start shit and put a bad name on the pecaeful masked up protesters from the rallies.) The investigation into those threats, death threats against Sherrif Fred Abdalla, his family, Chief Mccafferty and his family, as well as threats against this reporter are still being investigated with no arrests. I'm told the FBI has suspects but no one except KY and potentially the individuals on the block by the grand jury are facing charges. It's definite KY will be facing charges, the grand jury has no guarantee of charges.

The question is, why are they dragging ass on the individuals who threatened residents, journalists, and law enforcement officials not caught yet and facing charges.

Say what you want about Deric/Ky, but he stood up for what he believed in despite the consequences. How many of us can honestly say that we would do that until the bitter end?

If you need help with your PR Deric, gimme a call. That'll mean I can no longer cover this stuff, but I respect you standing up for what you believe in no matter what, and want to help if I can as it pertains to your social media and media stuff.
There are still many KY supporters out there. In situations like this, the good always outweighs the bad.

One thing is damn sure though: Steubenville is no longer about a 16 year old rape victim. It's become more about people attacking each other over who is right, and who is wrong. That the masked people are evil, and the town supporters are right and vice versa. It's become a gross shell of it's former self with the young teen lost in the mix. It's about second guessing, hating on each other, and trying to make people look bad on either side of the coin. It's now about attcking and second guessing MSM,bloggers and Indy journalists.It's about pointing out each other's mistakes. (and there were mistakes galore made during this case on all sides: anon, media, town supporters, anon supporters, and hell I made quite a few, but what does it matter this was never about any of us.)

People have lost their minds over this case finally, and it's become a pathetic shit show.

Reuters' Web Producer Indicted For Conspiring With Anonymous Hacking Group

by LAURA SYDELL

March 15, 2013 3:00 PM

Link to the interview:

http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=174443509&m=174445025

Copyright © 2013 NPR. 

For personal, noncommercial use only. See Terms of Use. For other uses, prior permission required.

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

There's been an interesting twist in an ongoing story about political hacking. A federal grand jury has indicted a 26-year-old deputy social media editor at reuters.com for conspiring with the hacking group Anonymous. The group is known for hacking into websites to make political statements. According to the indictment, Matthew Keys helped Anonymous break into the computers of his former employer, the Tribune Company. NPR's Laura Sydell has more.

LAURA SYDELL, BYLINE: Our story begins back in October of 2010 when Matthew Keys was let go from his job at Fox 40, a Tribune-owned TV station in Sacramento, California. On December 14th, someone hacked into the website of one of the Tribune's other news properties, the L.A. Times. The intruder changed a headline from Pressure Builds in House to Pass Tax-Cut Package to Pressure Builds in House to Elect CHIPPY 1337. According to the federal indictment, Keys conspired with the hacker group Anonymous to stage the attack and change the headline.


Keys, who had been reporting on Anonymous, had managed to gain access to an online chat room where members of the group hung out. According to the federal indictment, using the name AESCracked, Keys shared all of his login and personal information from his former employer with one of the hackers. The indictment has a screenshot where AESCracked responds to news from one of the hackers that they got into the Tribune website by writing LOL, laughing out loud.


The hacker identified as Sharpie says he's having trouble staying inside the system. AESCracked responds by saying, I can grant you access again. The Justice Department would not comment for this story, but Keys' newly appointed attorney, Jay Leiderman, had this to say about the accusations.


JAY LEIDERMAN: He didn't hand over passwords, login credentials, anything like that to Anonymous.


SYDELL: Leiderman claims that Keys is being falsely accused by a former Anonymous member named Sabu, whose real name is Hector Monsegur. Monsegur was arrested by federal authorities and has been cooperating with the larger investigation into the activities of Anonymous. Leiderman thinks that Monsegur, who faces over 100 years in prison, is just trying to please federal prosecutors.


LEIDERMAN: When you're looking down a barrel at a 124-year prison sentence, you are liable to say anything.


SYDELL: Leiderman says Keys is a journalist who wrote a good article looking at Anonymous from the inside, and by indicting Keys, the federal government is trying to send a signal.


LEIDERMAN: Because Anonymous receives so much press, so much interest from the media, this was a shot across the bow of journalists. If you embed yourself with Anonymous, if you dare tell their story, we're going to prosecute you.


SYDELL: Keys' current employer, Reuters, has suspended him from his position where he's a social media editor. According to Reuters' own reporting, Keys got in some trouble there last fall. He covertly created a parody Twitter account, mocking Google's CEO Larry Page. The indictment of Keys has drawn the attention of Internet civil rights groups, such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation or EFF. Keys is being charged under the Computer Fraud Abuse Act, and he could face as much as 25 years in prison, says EFF attorney Hanni Fakhoury. Fakhoury says the law is too harsh.


HANNI FAKHOURY: He's charged with a felony for behavior that if done in the physical world, if you think of someone who spray-paints graffiti on a freeway sign, will maybe be charged with a misdemeanor instead of a felony.


SYDELL: Keys is scheduled to be arraigned in federal court in Sacramento on April 12th. Laura Sydell, NPR News.

Copyright © 2013 NPR. All rights reserved. No quotes from the materials contained herein may be used in any media without attribution to NPR. This transcript is provided for personal, noncommercial use only, pursuant to our Terms of Use. Any other use requires NPR's prior permission. Visit our permissions page for further information.


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Jay Leiderman on Voice of Russia Radio Discussing the Bradley Manning Trial

http://voicerussia.com/radio_broadcast/70924886/114960376.html 

Afternoon Show   →   Opinion: Manning trial is about 'the public's right to know what their government is up to'

Tags: Politics, Interviews, US, Wikileaks, Bradley Manning

Rob Sachs

Jun 3, 2013 14:56

Military. iStockphoto/Thinkstock.

WASHINGTON -- The Bradley Manning trial began Monday at Fort Meade, MD. In February, Manning pleaded guilty to lesser charges that could result in 20 years behind bars, but prosecutors are hoping for an "aiding the enemy" charge that could result in life behind bars.

Voice of Russia's Rob Sachs talks with Jay Leiderman, a lawyer based in California who often represents those in the internet hacking community

http://voicerussia.com/radio_broadcast/70924886/114960376.html 

Please visit the Bradley Manning Support Network to learn more about the case: http://www.bradleymanning.org/

“If you had free reign over classified networks… and you saw incredible things, awful things… things that belonged in the public domain, and not on some server stored in a dark room in Washington DC… what would you do?”

“God knows what happens now.  Hopefully worldwide discussion, debates, and reforms… I want people to see the truth… because without information, you cannot make informed decisions as a public.”

-Quotes from an online chat attributed to Bradley Manning

Nobel Peace Prize nominee PFC Bradley Manning, a 25-year-old Army intelligence analyst, who released the Collateral Murder video, that shows the killing of unarmed civilians and two Reuters journalists, by a US Apache helicopter crew in Iraq. Manning also shared documents known as the Afghan War Diary, the Iraq War Logs, and series of embarrassing US diplomatic cables. These documents were published by the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks, and they have illuminated such issues as the true number and cause of civilian casualties in Iraq, along with a number of human rights abuses by U.S.-funded contractors and foreign militaries, and the role that spying and bribes play in international diplomacy. Given the war crimes exposed by these documents,  PFC Bradley Manning should be given a medal of honor.

Read more about Bradley Mannning here.

Santa Paula man gets probation for drunken-driving crash that killed fellow officer By Raul Hernandez Posted May 10, 2013

Santa Paula man gets probation for drunken-driving crash that killed fellow officer 
By Raul Hernandez Posted May 10, 2013

A judge Friday gave a probation sentence to a former volunteer Santa Paula reserve officer involved in a drunken-driving crash that killed his police-officer girlfriend.

Superior Court Judge Patricia Murphy also ordered a hearing for Thursday after the probation department files another report with recommendations on probation terms for Christopher Blankenship, 45, of Santa Paula.

The judge rejected prosecutor Michael Lief’s recommendation that Blankenship receive the maximum sentence of four years in prison for the death of Kimberley Hemminger, 33, of Oxnard in a July 22 off-duty crash.

The judge said she doesn’t subscribe to the belief that police officers should be treated more harshly in court than others facing similar drunken-driving charges, noting this was an off-duty incident.

“They are human, and they do make mistakes in their human lives,” said Murphy.

Lief and the victim’s family declined to comment after the sentencing.

Murphy suspended a two-year prison sentence for Blankenship and ordered probation instead but said she could still give him a year behind bars after Thursday’s hearing.

The probation department prepared the sentencing report for Friday’s sentencing and recommended prison time but didn’t specify the number of years, according to Lief.

In March, Blankenship pleaded guilty to vehicle manslaughter while intoxicated and admitted causing great bodily injury and using a deadly weapon, the vehicle, to commit the crime.

On the night of July 22, Blankenship apparently couldn’t negotiate a right-hand curve and lost control of the vehicle on South Mountain Lookout Road near Coyote Canyon Road, according to the California Highway Patrol. The vehicle spun out and rolled over.

Hemminger, a full-time Santa Paula police officer, was partially ejected and pinned under the vehicle. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Two other women in the vehicle had minor injuries. Blankenship was not injured.

None of the four was wearing a seat belt, according to the CHP.

Lief said he believes Blankenship used his law enforcement knowledge to try to cover up the amount of alcohol he had consumed by saying he was drinking beer right after the crash. Witnesses, however, said Blankenship never left their sight and they never saw him drink beer after the crash, Lief told the court.

“It’s wildly shocking, especially in light of the fact that he is a police officer,” said Lief.

Blankenship’s lawyer, Jay Leiderman, made a lengthy argument to the judge, urging her to give Blankenship probation because he has no criminal record and for 14 years worked for Santa Paula police as a volunteer reserve officer.

Leiderman said his client, who has “deep and profound remorse,” wanted to plead guilty as soon as he could.

“He is a good person. He did a bad thing,” Leiderman told the judge.

Leiderman said alcohol was a definite factor in the incident, but so were a bad road and lack of seat belt use.

Blankenship “went to the scene and made a promise to Kim and God that he would never have another beer,” said Leiderman.

Blankenship’s friends, including police officers, were in court to support him and wrote letters to the court, Leiderman pointed out.

Two Hemminger family members made victim-impact statements to the court.

Hemminger’s mother, Sharon, asked the judge to sentence Blankenship to the maximum sentence, describing her daughter as a woman who loved her family, walking her dog, horseback riding, ice cream and just being a police officer.

A large photograph of the victim with her horse was placed in the courtroom well during the sentencing.

“I miss her smile. I miss her voice,” said the mother. “I miss our long talks. I could go on about how much I miss her and how much I wish she was still here.”

Hemminger was a five-year veteran of the Santa Paula Police Department and a member of the Ventura County mounted unit, according to officials.

© 2013 Ventura County Star. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. 

Read more: http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/may/10/santa-paula-man-gets-probation-for-drunken-crash/#ixzz2UHFovFqW 

- vcstar.com

********************************

Santa Paula officers unhappy with former reserve's sentence for fatal crash

Santa Paula police officers disagreed Friday with the sentence a judge gave a former volunteer reserve officer involved in a drunken-driving crash that killed a fellow officer.

“I think it is a slap in the face to law enforcement,” said Sgt. Jeremy Watson, president of the Santa Paula Police Officers Association.

Superior Court Judge Patricia Murphy on Thursday sentenced Christopher Blankenship, 45, of Santa Paula, to five years of probation, gave him a suspended two-year prison sentence and ordered him to serve a year in jail.

Santa Paula Interim Police Chief Ismael Cordero said while he respected the judge’s sentence, he and nearly all his police officers disagree with it.

“We don’t support him at all,” Cordero said of Blankenship.

In March, Blankenship pleaded guilty to vehicle manslaughter while intoxicated in connection with the death of his girlfriend and Santa Paula officer Kimberly Hemminger, 33, of Oxnard, in a July 22 off-duty crash. He also admitted causing great bodily injury and using a deadly weapon, the vehicle, to commit the crime.

Cordero said Blankenship was never remorseful and brought shame and disgrace to Santa Paula and police officers everywhere.

“He didn’t reach out and say, ‘I’m sorry.’ That’s what really upset a lot of people,” Cordero said.

Cordero and Watson described Hemminger as a police officer with a bright future and a person who cared about people and the community. They said law enforcement, the community and especially her family felt the loss of this good officer.

“Our police department took a big hit in losing her,” Watson said.

On the night of the crash, Blankenship apparently couldn’t negotiate a right-hand curve and lost control of the vehicle on South Mountain Lookout Road near Coyote Canyon Road, according to the California Highway Patrol. The vehicle spun and rolled over.

Hemminger was partially ejected and pinned under the vehicle. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Two other women in the vehicle suffered minor injuries. Blankenship was not injured.

No one was wearing a seat belt, according to the patrol.

During a hearing earlier this month, Murphy said she believes police officers shouldn’t be treated more harshly than others because they are humans and make mistakes, too.

But Watson disagrees with Murphy, saying law enforcement officers should be held to a higher standard.

Prosecutor Michael Lief had argued in court that Blankenship deserved the maximum sentence of four years because he used his law enforcement training to try to avoid responsibility.

He said Blankenship tried to cover up the amount of alcohol he had consumed by saying he was drinking beer right after the crash. Witnesses, however, said he never left their sight and they never saw him drink a beer after the crash, Lief told the court.

The probation department also recommended a prison sentence for Blankenship.

Jay Leiderman, Blankenship’s lawyer, made a lengthy argument to the judge last week, urging her to give Blankenship probation because he had no criminal record and had worked 14 years as a volunteer reserve officer for the Santa Paula Police Department.

Leiderman told the judge his client was deeply remorseful and said he isn’t “the monster” others portray him as. He said alcohol was a definite factor in the crash, but so were a bad road and lack of seat belts.

“We hope this closed chapter brings some degree of peace to the victim’s family,” Leiderman said Friday.

© 2013 Ventura County Star. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. 

Read more: http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/may/17/santa-paula-officers-unhappy-with-former-for/?partner=popular#ixzz2UHHD3pJK 

- vcstar.com 

*********************************

Sacramento Federal Court, 23 April 2013

US v Keys, Arraignment

http://usavkeys.com/

Pretty Neat: A Wikipedia Article is Live

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Leiderman

Jay Leiderman (Born 12 April 1971) is an American criminal defense lawyer. The Atlantic Magazine called Leiderman the “Hacktivist’s Advocate” ^[1] for his work defending hacker-activists (“hacktivists”) accused of computer crimes, ^[2] especially people associated with Anonymous. ^{[3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]} Other noteworthy cases Leiderman defended include the Andrew Luster or so-called "Max Factor" heir habeas corpusproceeding ^[9] [10] People v. Diaz, which went to the California Supreme Court and made law on the ability of police to search a cell phone, ^[11] Louis Gonzalez, who was falsely accused of rape, attampted murder and torture by the mother of his child ^[12] and was jailed for 83 days before he was released and ultimately found factually innocent, ^[13] the first-ever trial of medical marijuana defendants in San Luis Obispo County, California County, ^[14] and Ventura County, California's first concentrated Mexican Mafia prosecution. ^[15] Leiderman also co-authored a book on the legal defense of California medical marijuana crimes, which was published by NORML, the National Organization For the Reform of Marijuana Laws ^[16]

References [edit]

1. ^ Hacktivist’s Advocate – Meet the Lawyer Who Defends Anonymous, The Atlantic 3 October 2012
2. ^ Ventura attorney represents high-profile hackers in a red-hot area of the law, Ventura County Star 23 March 2013
3. ^ Feds: Homeless hacker 'Commander X' arrested, CBS News
4. ^ Ars Technica “Anon On The Run How Commander X Jumped Bail and Fled to Canada” by Nate Anderson
5. ^ Hacking group activist's posts land him in trouble, Huffington Post, 5 October 2012
6. ^ LulzSec Member Pleads Guilty
7. ^ ‘Homeless Hacker’ Lawyer: DDoS Isn’t An Attack, It’s A Digital Sit In, Talking Points Memo (TPM) 28 September 2011
8. ^ Social Media Editor Enters Plea in Hacking Case, Time 23 April 2013
9. ^ "Convicted Rapist, Max Factor Heir Andrew Luster Seeks New Trial" Los Angeles Times 22 April 2012
10. ^ Hearing scheduled in Andrew Luster's appeal of rape sentence,Ventura County Star 10 December 2012
11. ^ State's high court rules police can conduct warrantless cell phone search,Ventura County Star 4 January 2011
12. ^ Los Angeles Times “In This Assault Case, The Puzzle Pieces Don’t Fit” by Christopher Goffard
13. ^ Los Angeles Times “A Man’s Nightmare Made Real”
14. ^ The age of 'reason' Two defendants are acquitted in a historic medical marijuana case for SLO County, New Times 14 September 2011
15. ^ Police say Mexican Mafia prison gang led crime ring in Ventura County 27 November 2012 Ventura County Star
16. ^ NORML.org Page for Medical Marijuana Law in California by Jay Leiderman and James B. Devine