David Kernell Indicted for Sarah Palin Email Hacking

David Kernell (20) was finally indicted by a federal grand jury in Knoxville, Tennessee for admittedly hacking into Sarah Palin’s email account at Yahoo. Palin is currently governor of Alaska and a Vice Presidential candidate.

Kernell, who posted Palin’s email on the Internet, faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison, and a $250,000 fine, for breaking federal law. His trial is set for December 16.

David’s father is a longtime state Rep. Mike Kernell of Memphis, and chairman of Tennessee’s House Government Operations Committee, so it’s likely David will get off with only a slap on the wrist. Mike denies any involvement in his son’s crime.

Although David Kernell, an economics student at the University of Tennessee, was brought into court wearing handcuffs and shackles on his ankles, he was released without posting bond. The court did limit his computer use to checking his own e-mail and doing class work. How the court will monitor David’s computer use is a mystery.

It seems obvious David would have done a lot more to harm Sarah Palin if he had the ability, but only managed to release harmless emails on the Internet. Federal laws are in place to prevent this kind of crime for good reason. It would be a mockery of the justice system if this high profile case isn’t used to set an example. Maximum penalties are meant to deter maximum crimes such as this one.