Mich. Employee Found Guilty in Security Breach Scheme

Attorney General Mike Cox announced earlier this month that a Kent County jury has returned a guilty verdict against 46-year-old James Benjamin Brunk of Cadillac. In a case that had potential homeland security implications, Brunk was prosecuted for his role in a scheme to hack into a secure state-run communications system. He was convicted of aiding and abetting another to gain unauthorized access to a computer network.

“Law enforcement agencies must be able to reliably communicate without the possibility that others can interfere with vital communications,” Cox said. “Anyone who jeopardizes the security of our state or nation will face serious consequences.”

Cox said that the Michigan State Police, Major Case Team, were instrumental in detecting and preventing this problem before there were harmful results.

In July 2003, Brunk was working as a technician in a state radio shop in Cadillac, providing service and support to the Michigan Public Safety Communication System (MPSCS), a state-of-the-art communication network designed to assist law enforcement and other first-responders. Brunk engaged in activities that compromised the integrity of this network by allowing unauthorized personnel to have access to the tools necessary to program radios onto the network – for security reasons, this task is limited to MPSCS personnel.

Brunk’s sentencing is set for August 31, 2006. This crime carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

The case against Brunk was the only remaining case in a total of four persons originally charged. All other defendants pled guilty in advance of this trial.

Source: Office of the Michigan Attorney General