Teens Unknowingly Steal More than Laptop

There’s a reason why you shouldn’t steal things, especially from the government. It puts you on the priority list of people to get.

Such was the case of two teenagers who were arrested Saturday after taking a laptop that was more valuable than it looked.

Montgomery County police took Jesus Alex Pineda, 19, and Christian Brian Montano, 19, into custody in relation to the May 3 burglary of a Veterans Affairs employee’s home in Maryland.

Besides the obvious spoils, the hard drive contained data pertaining to more than 26 million military personnel, including veterans. This information included names, birth dates, and the social security numbers of veterans discharged from service since 1975. While the laptop and hard drive were turned into the FBI anonymously last June 28, in response to a reward offer, the thieves still had to be found as it was a breach of government data. Fortunately, the FBI has determined the integrity of the files on the hard drive.

Pineda and Montano were both charged with first-degree burglary and theft over $500, with Montano also getting charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree burglary and theft over $500. Authorities have noted that the Veterans Affairs residence was not a specific target, and that the two in custody knew nothing of the information inside the hard drive till the nature of the stolen goods and their contents was made public. 

Charges are also pending against a third suspect who, unlike Pineda and Montano, is a juvenile.

While theft does happen more often than we realize, it’s this sort of data theft that puts more than mere property into jeopardy, as the data inside contains a good portion of the lives of many other people. Sometimes, one really has to consider even the seemingly impossible consequences that occur as a result of his actions.

Via Houston Chronicle

There’s a reason why you shouldn’t steal things, especially from the government. It puts you on the priority list of people to get.

Such was the case of two teenagers who were arrested Saturday after taking a laptop that was more valuable than it looked.

Montgomery County police took Jesus Alex Pineda, 19, and Christian Brian Montano, 19, into custody in relation to the May 3 burglary of a Veterans Affairs employee’s home in Maryland.

Besides the obvious spoils, the hard drive contained data pertaining to more than 26 million military personnel, including veterans. This information included names, birth dates, and the social security numbers of veterans discharged from service since 1975. While the laptop and hard drive were turned into the FBI anonymously last June 28, in response to a reward offer, the thieves still had to be found as it was a breach of government data. Fortunately, the FBI has determined the integrity of the files on the hard drive.

Pineda and Montano were both charged with first-degree burglary and theft over $500, with Montano also getting charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree burglary and theft over $500. Authorities have noted that the Veterans Affairs residence was not a specific target, and that the two in custody knew nothing of the information inside the hard drive till the nature of the stolen goods and their contents was made public. 

Charges are also pending against a third suspect who, unlike Pineda and Montano, is a juvenile.

While theft does happen more often than we realize, it’s this sort of data theft that puts more than mere property into jeopardy, as the data inside contains a good portion of the lives of many other people. Sometimes, one really has to consider even the seemingly impossible consequences that occur as a result of his actions.

Via Houston Chronicle