Hacker who targeted Clinton, Bushes, sentenced

Marcel Lazar, the Romanian hacker also known as "Guccifer," was sentenced to four years in prison on Thursday. Lazar, 44, is believed to have infiltrated the e-mail and social media accounts of some 100 people, including important political figures.

One of the victims of his 2012-2013 crime spree was Hillary Clinton confidante Sidney Blumenthal. Lazar leaked memos from Blumenthal to Clinton while the latter was secretary of state.

The hacker also claimed to have infiltrated Clinton's controversial private e-mail server, but this was dismissed as untrue by FBI Director James Comey.

Lazar also targeted Dorothy Bush Koch, daughter of former President George H.W. Bush and sister to President George W. Bush. Lazar's hack led to several private family photos being published by the website The Smoking Gun.

He then accessed former Secretary of State Colin Powell's Facebook account and posted messages that read "You will burn in hell, Bush!" and "Kill the illuminati!"

Prosecutor: Lazar proud of his crimes

Judge James Cacheris handed down the 52-month sentence in a Virginia court on Thursday after prosecutors argued "Guccifer" showed no remorse for his misdeeds.

"He characterized his criminal conduct as an achievement," said prosecutor Maya Strong.

The hacker made no public comment after his sentencing.

Lazar will now be returned to Romania to finish a seven-year sentence for similar hacking crimes before completing his US jail time.

Although Lazar has been in custody, a copycat individual calling themselves "Guccifer 2.0" claimed responsibility or data breaches at the Democratic National Committee ahead of their July convention.

es/kms (AFP, Reuters)