WEST NEW YORK – In a ruling that surprise some, Mayor Felix Roque was found “not guilty” on Tuesday of conspiring with his son, Joseph, to hack into a website of political opponents.
Joseph Roque, however, was found guilty after he had admitted in court that he had hacked into the site in an attempt to find out who was attacking his father.
Mayor Roque was exonerated on all charges including conspiracy and intimidation. Joseph Roque was convicted only on hacking charges as a misdemeanor.
Mayor Roque had taken the stand in his own offence in an attempt to dispute the charge, and his defense painted his opponents as political sharks who were out to get him.
Federal authorities brought a number of very powerful witnesses including a federal expert on internet fraud, a representative from Google, and an official from the provider of the hacked website.
The charges stem a February 2012 incident when Joseph Roque allegedly hacked into and closed down the website run by a political opponent who was also a government informant. Additionally, Mayor Roque has been charged with intimidating people connected with the website after his son allegedly got their information from the website.
The jury ruling comes after two days of deliberation and allows Mayor Roque to retain his seat as mayor, as well will allow him to retain his medical practice that would have been at risk had he been found guilty. – by Al Sullivan
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