Convicted Hacker Back on the Lam, and on the Net

In a virtual replay of an earlier episode from his dubious career, convicted computer hacker Justin Tanner Petersen is once again on the run from federal authorities, who in recent weeks have resumed staking out his old club haunts on Sunset Boulevard.

Petersen, who favors the moniker “Agent Steal,” is best known for helping fellow hacker Kevin Poulsen rig the telephone lines to three Los Angeles radio stations in the late 1980s, enabling them to win two Porsches, two trips to Hawaii and thousands of dollars in cash. Petersen later became an informant for the FBI but soured that relationship by continuing his hacking exploits. When the FBI learned of his activities, Petersen embarked on a 10-month run from the law until he was captured in August 1994.

Petersen’s latest stint as a fugitive comes about a year and a half after his release from prison. The 38-year-old is wanted for violating the terms of his supervised release, and a warrant was issued Sept. 29 for his arrest, said his probation officer, Kathy Nash.

Nash declined to discuss the nature of his violations. But Petersen himself may have offered his own version of events in an e-mail attributed to him that was posted on a popular hacking mailing list. “I got tired of my probation officer’s BS and simply failed to report or notify her of my whereabouts,” said the message. “Supervised release is such a bunch of crap.”

The message was posted by Emmanuel Goldstein, publisher of the well-known hacking magazine 2600, who said he verified the authenticity of Petersen’s missive.

Petersen, a particularly flamboyant hacker with a penchant for the club scene, was forced to enter a halfway house several months ago after earlier violations that centered on his failure to find adequate employment. As part of his original sentence, Petersen was required to get a job and pay more than $40,000 in restitution to his victims, whose credit card numbers and other information were stolen via computer.