Lawyers for an Ontario man accused of stealing and leaking Texan Republican Party data in 2021 say he has pleaded guilty before a Canadian court.
In a statement released this afternoon, Arash Ghiassi and Riaz Sayani say Aubrey Cottle has “formally accepted his role” in the hacking of the party’s website five years ago.
Ghiassi said in an email that Cottle pleaded guilty in a Newmarket, Ont., courthouse to unauthorized use of a computer, mischief to computer data, and failure to comply with a release order.
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U.S. authorities announced the arrest of a man from Oshawa, Ont., in April of last year and said the suspect was facing charges under Canadian law.
At the time, the U.S. Department of Justice alleged Cottle had gained unauthorized access to “deface and download a backup of Texas Republican Party’s server” and made the data, which included personal information, available online for downloading.
The department further alleged Cottle claimed responsibility for the cyberattack on social media and a search of his electronic devices showed he was in possession of the stolen data.
Cottle’s legal team says their client has also been charged by the U.S. federal prosecutors over the same incident.
“As mater of fairness, that charge should now be withdrawn. No one should be prosecuted or punished twice for the same conduct,” they said.
“In the event of an extradition request, Canada should do the right thing and refuse to extradite Mr. Cottle,” they said, calling on Ottawa to “protect the integrity” of Canada’s legal system.