First juvenile convicted of a cybercrime

Jonathan James (USA, 12 December 1983–18 May 2008) hacked into US Department of Defense systems in 1999. James was arrested in 2000 and subsequently pleaded guilty to two counts of juvenile delinquency according to the New York Times. The US justice department stated that he was the first juvenile hacker to be given a sentence to serve time. Jonathan James hacked into the computers of the DTRA (Defense Threat Reduction Agency), a division of the United States Department of Defense, the primary function of which is to analyze potential threats to the USA, both at home and abroad.

James's house was raided on 26 January 2000 by agents from the Department of Defense, NASA, and local police. James was formally indicted six months later. On 21 September 2000, he entered into an agreement with US Attorney Guy Lewis: he would plead guilty to two counts of juvenile delinquency in exchange for a lenient sentence. James was sentenced to six months house arrest and probation until the age of 18. James later violated his parole and served six months in prison.

Legal experts have suggested that, given the extent of his intrusions, he could have served at least 10 years if he had been an adult.