Dad’s fury as his ‘superhacker’ son with Asperger’s faces 99 years in a US jail after judge rules he should be extradited for ‘stealing data from FBI’
Superhacker Lauri Love will be extradited to the US after being accused of cracking into data from NASA, the US army, the Federal Reserve and the Missile Defence Agency
A SUPERHACKER who cracked into the top secret files of American agencies has been told he will be extradited to the US - where he faces up to 99 years in jail.
But the family of Brit Lauri Love have slammed the result, saying the 31-year-old computer expert, who has Asperger's syndrome, can face trial in the UK.
Lauri Love has been accused of cracking the codes that protect sensitive data for NASA, the US army, the Federal Reserve, and the Missile Defence Agency in 2012 and 2013.
American authorities have been fighting for the 31-year-old to stand trial with the young man potentially facing three separate trials in different jurisdictions.
There were gasps in the courtroom as Mr Love was read the ruling - that could see him spend 99 years in jail if found guilty in the US trials.
Love's father, Rev Alexander Love, said he was "greatly disappointed at what's happened."
He told the crowd: "If you have come for justice then you have missed it."
He said he had hoped his son, who lives with his parents in Stradishall, Suffolk, should be able to stand trial in the UK.
He said: "He can be put on trial here, it was computer crime.
"It seems disproportionate that you would take someone away from his family to America.
"For my son they want to set three separate trials in three separate states because there are three different computer servers."
Love has claimed he might commit suicide if he is hauled to the US to stand trial.
The family has now appealed for Prime Minister Theresa May to step in to examine the extradition treaty.
May had personally intervened to stop hacker Gary McKinnon being extradited to the US while she was serving as Home Secretary in 2012.
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Courage Foundation director Sarah Harrison, who has helped to organise Love's defence fund, drew parallels with the case as she expressed 'disappointment' with today's ruling.
She said: "This is a very disappointing ruling, not just for Lauri and his family but for everyone who was angry about what happened to Gary McKinnon.
"Clear assurances were given that legal changes would prevent the McKinnon situation from happening again and frankly, if the forum bar can't help Lauri Love, it's very difficult to understand how it could ever help anyone."
District Judge Nina Tempia told the packed courtroom that she had made the decision to extradite the young man.
She said: "I am going to extradite Mr Love, what I mean by that is I'm sending his case to the Secretary of State.
"I have to advise Mr Love that he can apply for appeal to leave."
She said: "In balancing the factors for and against extradition I am satisfied that the very strong counter-balancing factors required to find extradition would be disproportionate are not found in this case."
She also said that Love faces "extremely serious charges" and said she was satisfied the young man's needs would be met by US authorities.
Love now has two weeks to appeal the ruling.
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