2 Accused of Conspiracy, Hacking Into a Computer

Two San Fernando Valley residents were indicted Friday for allegedly breaking into an international software company’s computer system and deleting a $2.6-million project, federal officials said.

The company, Pleasanton, Calif.-based Commerce One Inc., was able to recover the files at a cost of $5,000, said Thom Mrozek, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office. Commerce One makes software used for buying business supplies over the Internet.

Glenn Cazenave, 44, of Encino, and Marinella Amaya, 31, of Van Nuys, face federal charges of conspiracy and hacking.

Cazenave is a software developer who was fired by Commerce One in December 2000, said Assistant U.S. Atty. Jacqueline Chooljian.

Before his termination, the company was based in Santa Monica and Cazenave was in charge of a project called Memec, which was being developed for a London company, Mrozek said.

Cazenave allegedly responded to his termination by asking Amaya, whom he had supervised at the company, to give him the password for the server so he could delete the Memec project.

Cazenave did not appear to gain anything monetarily from deleting the project file, Mrozek said. “It appears that it was a spite move,” he said.

Mrozek said the federal government is paying increasing attention to computer crimes by disgruntled employees.

According to the indictment, Amaya gave her former boss the password, and Cazenave used it to break into Commerce One’s computer and delete the entire Memec file on Feb. 21, 2001.

Cazenave and Amaya have not been arrested. But they have been ordered to appear for an arraignment later this month. If convicted, each faces up to 10 years in prison.