David Jeansonne has pleaded guilty to a particularly unfunny cyberprank—sending rigged e-mails that rewrote WebTV access numbers to dial several 911 systems around the U.S. in July 2002.
Jeansonne admitted in federal court in California to sending the spiked e-mails to twenty WebTV subscribers and faces a maximum ten years behind bars, pleading guilty to intentionally damaging computers and causing a public safety threat.
"Mr. Jeansonne admitted that, in reality, the email attachment contained a hidden computer script that reset the dial-in telephone number in the user's WebTV box to 911," said a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California. "Accordingly, the next time the user attempted to log in to WebTV, the computer dialed 9-1-1 instead of the local modem telephone number supplied to the user by WebTV to access its servers in Santa Clara."
That office added that at least ten of the twenty victimised WebTV users said local police either called or visited their homes after the rigged 911 calls.
Jeansonne has been in federal custody since last November and faces a March 14 sentencing date.
Microsoft-owned WebTV has since been renamed MSN TV.
