DALLAS (AP) – A writer linked to the online hacking collective Anonymous has been sentenced to prison for threatening an FBI agent and two other federal counts in a closely watched case.
Barrett Lancaster Brown was sentenced to five years in prison Thursday in federal court in Dallas. The 33-year-old will be given credit for the more than two years he's already served.
Brown is often quoted on the workings of Anonymous, the worldwide hacking collective.
He came under federal investigation for posting a link to data stolen from the Austin-based defense contractor Stratfor. He later admitted to posting threats against an FBI agent, obstructing a search warrant and being an accessory to an unauthorized access of a protected computer.
Brown's case has been watched by free-speech advocates who have criticized his prosecution.
