Judge: Prosecutors filed weak charges to keep hacker jailed

A federal judge has ordered the immediate release of a computer hacker who was sentenced to 20 years in prison for helping the Islamic State

ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- A federal judge has ordered the immediate release of a computer hacker who was sentenced to 20 years in prison for helping the Islamic State, and accused the Justice Department of trumping up charges against him to keep him in jail.

The April 1 order from U.S. Judge Leonie Brinkema includes a harsh rebuke of the Justice Department's conduct against Ardit Ferizi. The native of Kosovo is the first person convicted in the U.S. of both computer hacking and terrorism charges.

He pleaded guilty back in 2016 and was sentenced to 20 years in prison. He admitted hacking a private company and pulling out the names, email passwords and phone numbers of about 1,300 people with .gov and .mil addresses and turning the data over to the "Islamic State Hacking Division.” The Islamic State published the names with a threat to attack.

In 2020, in the earliest stages of the pandemic, Ferizi sought compassionate release, citing his asthma and obesity as placing him at greater risk of contracting COVID-19.