We already wrote about the Zynga chip "heist" that was committed by Ashley Mitchell in 2009. He pleaded guilty in February, admitting that he violated the Computer Misuse Act.
His attorney attempted to mitigate the punishment by stating that his client suffers from gambling addiction, proven by the fact that he spent as much as £1,000 a day on gambling at the time of committing the crime. He also added that Mitchell is willing to repay the £184,000 he made selling the stolen chips.
Judge Philip Wassall chided Mitchell for exploiting the security holes in Zynga Poker's system stating: "People rely on computer systems. Anyone who has managed to get into these systems for their own ends should expect a stiff sentence." Therefore, Mitchell has been sentenced to two years of jail time, plus a 30-week for breaking his last 40-week suspended sentence.
This case shows how important virtual value is considered nowadays, hacking into a Facebook application and stealing play money chips can get one to jail this easily. Do not try this at home.
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