Computer Hacker Given Additional Probation as Result of Disappearance

A 22-year-old computer whiz known as the “Cracker,” who stunned a giant corporation three years ago by tapping into its computer system from his Poway home, was put on extended probation Tuesday. The sentencing of William Landreth occurred more than a year after he disappeared for eight months, prompting fears that he had committed suicide.

Landreth, whose nickname was known by other computer hackers across the nation, was ordered by U.S. District Judge Rudi Brewster to continue taking medication to combat depression. The judge also ordered Landreth to spend the first 90 days of his new probationary period in a private home, away from his family, so he can receive support and guidance.

Brewster could have given Landreth a five-year prison sentence for violating probation, but instead expressed concern for him. During Landreth’s eight-month disappearance, Brewster said, he was more concerned about Landreth’s safety than he was about any danger he might pose to the public.

Landreth’s parents, Gulliver and Susan Fourmyle, did not attend Tuesday’s hearing and have been absent from most of Landreth’s court appearances since his arrest in May, 1984. Landreth pleaded guilty in July, 1984, to one count of fraud by computer and appeared alone at his sentencing.

Jumpsuit Too Large

The slightly built Landreth, who has an IQ of 163, appeared before Brewster dressed in a khaki prison jumpsuit that appeared two or three sizes too big for him. The boyish-looking Landreth sported a barely visible mustache and appeared pale.

When Landreth dropped from sight in September, 1986, he was on three years’ probation imposed by Brewster for computer hacking, or illegally breaking into the GTE Telemail electronic mail network system in Vienna, Va. Brewster extended Landreth’s probation until Nov. 16, 1989.

The U.S. Marshals Service conducted an extensive search for Landreth when he disappeared. Authorities pursued leads in the United States and Mexico, but friends expressed fears that Landreth might have committed suicide because of a despondent letter that he had typed into his computer.

“I think that letter was misinterpreted,” said Landreth’s attorney, Peter Hughes, on Tuesday. “ . . . It was sort of a more general attitude of despair.”

Dressed Like a Transient

Landreth’s disappearance violated terms of his probation that required him to report regularly to his probation officer and get permission to travel. He was arrested on June 26 in Oregon, dirty, barefoot and dressed like a transient, when he asked a woman for permission to drink from her garden hose.

Hughes blamed his client’s disappearance on stress. When he disappeared, Landreth had written a book that recounted his experiences in computer hacking and was under contract to write another. He was also consulting corporations on how to improve the security of their computer systems.

“He was trying to do too much, writing books and he just sort of got overwhelmed,” said Hughes. “This was compounded by the fact that he hadn’t reported to his probation officer. He went longer without reporting and this added to the stress and nervous condition he was experiencing.”

Brewster expressed concern for Landreth and wished him well. Although he lectured Landreth about failing to report to his probation officer, Brewster noted that his probation violation did not involve new crimes.

“The court notes that the violation of probation did not take the form of the commission of crimes,” said Brewster. “The defendant was unavailable to report to the probation officer . . . The court was more concerned about the defendant than the community.”

Brewster, who in 1984 ordered Landreth to complete high school, encouraged him this time to continue his education and get back “to a 9-to-5 world.”

“I will be happy with that,” said Landreth.