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REAL LIFE NEWS: WOMAN IN TROUBLE FOR STEALING EX-COMPANY'S DOCUMENTS

by Hazed

A woman who was furious at being sacked from her job took her revenge by posting confidential company info on the web - but now she's been up in court for felony computer intrusion.

Ming Shao, 44 years old, was fired from California company PanTerra Networks in August 2009. But she had access to two employee email accounts for months following her dismissal so continued to receive confidential information. On several occasions she posted info to websites which contained user reviews and comments about the company. The stolen information included a "Weekly Ops Report" distributed to the company's executives, and details of contracts in negotiation between the company and potential clients.

As a result of her leaks, one company that was in negotiations for a contract valued between $30,000 and $50,000 dropped out.

When the FBI raided her home, she grabbed a hard drive which was subject to a search warrant, and vanished into the bathroom.

"Agents advised Shao that they knew she took the drive and that they would not be leaving until they found the drive and that she should turn it over," a criminal complaint filed in July 2010 alleged. "After several minutes of silence, Shao reached into her pants and pulled the hard drive out. "

She was sentenced to 60 days home detention and a year of probation, and had to pay a $2,000 fine and $30,747 restitution.

But just how did she manage to remain in control of two email accounts after being sacked? Either the company needs to tighten its security, or sharpen up its dismissal procedures!

[Source: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/03/01/sacked_employee_sentenced/]

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