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A man convicted of hacking former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s email account has asked a federal judge to sentence him to probation, while federal prosecutors are pushing for him to get at least 18 months in prison, CNN reports.
David Kernell’s fate will be decided today at a sentencing hearing in a federal courtroom in Knoxville, Tenn.
Kernell was found guilty on two counts related to hacking Palin’s emails two years ago. Prosecutors said he accessed the then-governor’s email by resetting the password. He then read the contents and made screenshots of the email directory and other personal information, which he posted online.
Federal prosecutors said Kernell should serve the 18-month prison sentence partly because his aim was to “derail” Palin’s campaign.
Kernell’s attorneys argued there have been similar court cases where people have been sentenced to probation. What Kernell did was closer to a prank than a crime, the attorneys claimed.
