Malware victim faces jailtime; Write Connecticut's Governor

Filed under: Internet, Security, News, Windows

Malware victim faces jailtime; Write Connecticut's Governor

by Grant Robertson Feb 16th 2007

You've probably read of Julie Amero's unbelievable malware misfortune. The substitute teacher was working at a Norwich, Connecticut school in 2004 when the classroom computer began spewing porn pop-ups in front of a room full of pupils. The result; Amero was arrested and charged with four counts of "impairing the morals of a child", a crime of which she was subsequently convicted. Nevermind the legions of experts who've offered to testify for free, or the fact that the computer in question was never even analyzed by an independent expert before Amero's trial. Mrs. Amero got pwned in the truest sense of the word. She faces sentencing on March 3rd.

The only thing that can save Julie Amero now is the uncertainty of a lengthy appeals process, or a pardon from ~~Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell~~. Connecticut's Board of Pardons and Paroles.

I've written Governor Rell, (politely) asking that she speak independently with any number of the available experts (or even read a short article from Harvard's Ben Edelman) and then use that information to make the right decision; Issue a pardon of Julie Amero. Now it's your turn. Take 5 minutes out of your day and do what you can to keep Julie Amero from serving jail-time for falling victim to malware! Think for one minute about the last time you answered a ridiculously simple computer question for a computer-noob relative, and of how a concept so simple for you was so mind boggling for them. Your five minutes meant a lot, didn't it? In this case, that same five minutes could save Julie Amero from jail.

~~Governor Rell's office~~ Connecticut State Board of Pardons and Paroles contact information after the jump...

Thanks to DLS reader Kevin, who sent us this interesting update:

[Governor Rell's office told me ] that because it concerns a legal matter, the governor has no authority to intervene. I actually did some investigating online and found out that this is TRUE...the governor has no power to grant pardons.

"In the State of Connecticut, the Governor does not have the authority to grant a pardon as this authority is given to the Board of Pardon and Paroles, if you have any questions regarding the pardon process in the State of Connecticut, I would suggest you contact this agency directly at (203) 805-6605."

Connecticut Board of Pardon and Parole
(203) 805-6605

Chairman Gregory Everett
Rowland Government Center
55 West Main Street, Suite 520
Waterbury, Connecticut 06702

You can email Chairman Gregory Everett at greg.everett@po.state.ct.us

A full directory of the board can be found here.

Although the Connecticut Governor has no power to grant a pardon, she does have influence over almost every other area of Connecticut's legal system. She should still hear from you to encourage action in Connecticut's schools and the administration of Connecticut's classroom computers which would prevent this from being an issue ever again.

To contact the Governor of Connecticut and tell her what you think about Mrs. Amero's case

Snail Mail

Governor M. Jodi Rell
Executive Office of the Governor
State Capitol
210 Capitol Avenue
Hartford, Connecticut 06106

Telephone

Greater Hartford Area: 860-566-4840
Toll Free: 800-406-1527
TDD: 860-524-7397

E-Mail

Governor.Rell@po.state.ct.us

Tags: Julie Amero, JulieAmero

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Victor Agreda, Jr. said 3:39PM on 2-16-2007

Who is the dumb-as-rocks DA who prosecuted this? The school system should have paid some minor damages (because it falls upon them to secure their computers), but holding this woman accountable for circumstances well beyond her control is totally outrageous.

Lee Jones said 4:00PM on 2-16-2007

Dear Governor,

I hope that you are aware of the plight of Julie Amero, a substitute teacher who was convicted of exposing students to online pornography.

Amero reported for work at Kelly Middle School in Norwich, Connecticut school on October 19th, 2004. She was very likely the victim of malicious software which attempt to “spam” a computer user.

According to the Washington Post, the school district’s IT director Robert Hartz acknowledged that the computer was not protected from malicious software and viruses. On January 23rd, Hartz told the school board that the computer was not “updated in time for the 2004 school year and that's why this incident happened.”

Older computers are particularly susceptible to the malicious software (such as viruses) installed by spammers. The computer in question is a Windows 98 PC. I am a computer technician by trade, yet I myself have been exposed to pop-up windows which multiply in spite of your efforts.

Julie Amero was the victim of malicious software on a openly accessible computer. Her conviction is a mistake which you, dear Governor, can rectify. Amero now faces a lengthy appeals process. Please, read the facts for yourself, and I ask you to consider a pardon for Julie Amero.

Sincerely,

Lee Jones

References:
http://www.benedelman.org/news/062206-1.html
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2007/01/substitute_teacher_faces_jail.html
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2007/01/smoking_gun_in_teacher_and_por.html

Gardiner Westbound said 4:04PM on 2-16-2007

Ms. Amero is being scapegoated by an incompetent educracy. Nor is the judge the brightest light on the tree. The governor should pardon her and expunge the record.

Tyler said 6:14PM on 2-16-2007

To Whom It May Concern,

I’m a Systems Administrator in the IT department at a large aerospace company in the Midwest. I stumbled across this case today while reading some news on the internet. What I read is truly appalling. I can not believe that this woman was even arrested for this. I, as well as many of my peers in the information sector can vouch for Mrs. Amero. She was a victim of malware. If anything this is the State of Connecticut’s fault for not properly ensuring that Mrs. Amero’s computer was not safeguarded against such malicious software. Microsoft has even released a free update to Windows that removes malicious software from computers. Obviously the computer Mrs. Amero was using didn’t have this update. Therin, the fault lies with the IT department of the school in which Mrs. Amero was teaching at. With more and more schools using the internet as a teaching RESOURCE it is the responsibility of the State of Connecticut to ensure that all computers are updated. Mrs. Amero is taking the blame for someone else’s mistake. That is not the America our Founding Fathers had envisioned, I’m sure of that.

Dan said 1:20AM on 2-17-2007

To whom it may concern,
I had worked at a CT Regional Educational Service Center that brought technology to school districts. I worked there for four years, and finding spyware has always been a problem. If anything is to blame it's the lack of funds for technology provide to schools. Without proper technicians and safeguards you should assume the worst in regards to the infection left from web browsing. If she goes to jail it will be a sign that CT needs a change in leadership. Not one person who has ever dealt with spyware can believe this story.

Dustin said 1:40AM on 2-17-2007

Email sent.

Thank you download squad.

martin said 4:08AM on 2-17-2007

Doesn't a pardon necessitate an admission of guilt in regards to what is to be forgiven? Perhaps writing the DA and/or starting a campaign to get him out of office would be more effective.

Max Rubin said 10:58AM on 2-17-2007

Dear Governor,

maybe they will need a computer admin in jail and this poor substitute teacher can receive 20 - 40 years of advanced training in computer system administration to be placed at work to be a contributing member of society after her rehabilitation.
www.vintagecomputermanuals.com

Adrian Abraham said 12:01PM on 2-17-2007

A note from Malaysia

Governor Rell

I have read many articles of late with regards to a teacher in your state who has been prosecuted because a computer she was using in one of you classrooms was improperly maintained by the school authorities and allowed pornographic material to be displayed to her students.

The Internet was invented in your country, most computer technology comes from your country, almost all the pornography on the internet also comes from your country, most computer malware comes from your country. For the rest of the world on the internet, this is a fact.

Now you send a Teacher to jail for this mess ?

I was told America is the land of the Free - This must be a joke.

Mike said 12:42PM on 2-17-2007

This is the best explanations of why people should not run Windows. It sucks!

Philber said 4:12PM on 2-17-2007

Having followed this case from England through Diggnation and TWiT and through Dvorak.org I am amazed that this sorry state of affairs has got as far as it has. I am a British Citizen, and therefore have no vote or power in the USA, but I suggest that as many American Citizens as possible act in an effort to make it a requirement for all persons of positions of power in public life in the States, whether lawyers, politicians or whatever, to have a minimum standard certification for technical/IT knowledge.

Believe me, people around the World get to hear about these things, and it makes a great nation look ignorant - which is a shame considering the USA basically invented the Internet, the top software company (Microsoft) and my favourite computer maker (Apple) are American

The first persion to take the certification should be THAT senator - you know the 'TUBES' guy!

PS. Get a Mac to avoid porn storms!

Philber

Bangy said 4:25PM on 2-17-2007

I'd be interested in hearing both sides of the issue. I find it very difficult to believe the case got as far as it did simply because the PC started popping up windows of porn.

I think many people would like to see the whole picture before simply writing in to give support when they don't know how the entire case was presented to the court.

alpha_g33k said 5:22PM on 2-17-2007

Dear Sir,

I find it terribly disturbing that the legal system in your state has seen fit to convict this poor innocent woman for something that she quite possibly could not control. As a field technician for a major corporation in the US & Canada, I ran into people who’s computers were “taken over” by maleware & Spyware on an almost daily basis. While this can be caused by going to “unsafe” web sites, I know with certainty that it can also happen when going to the most benign of web sites as well.

The problem should not be put on a teacher, or in this case a substitute teacher, but on the IT department for the school or the district. Again as a technician myself, I have helped parents keep their children from experiencing the dark under belly of the internet by simply adding software to the machines or by showing them how to block keywords & whole sites from being accessible over their network. Again I stress the blame should not be put on a teacher who may not have even known that this type of thing could happen, but should rather be placed on the people that do know this & clearly did nothing to stop it from being an eventuality.

The American justice system, & most pointedly that of your states, is creating criminals out of innocents. The system is broken, & this case proves it once again. This woman, Julie Amero, should never have even been in court for this, your courts have destroyed her life & most likely her lively hood. She will have a very large black mark following her around for the rest of her life due to someone else’s lack of concern or knowledge of a potential problem. This sickens me. America is no longer the great country it once was, it has become a litigious, witch hunting society that is spiraling out of control.

fred lapides said 10:11PM on 2-17-2007

I amno attorney but I thinkl the school board et al ought to be notified that there well might be a law suit because of their failure to protect the computers against malware and that there is as a result serious damage done to a teacher's reputation and lifel The chool district it strikes me bears a major responsibility here.

jerk said 8:20AM on 2-18-2007

Can you believe this ?
Should not the school system admin manager been taken to task for not doing his duties.
The role of inept management.
Blame someone else.
The emperor's clothes retold by stupidity.
A hamster has more sense.
What a waste of time and resources of the legal system and harrassment of a poor victim.
This will all end in crying.
All that was needed was one simple spyware scan - lavasoft adaware or spybot.
What next.
Promote these administrators who wasted the system's time to school superintendents ?
What incompotence.
www.jerkbossesihaveknown.com

Liz Ditz said 1:19PM on 2-19-2007

Thanks for the footwork on who to write to on Julie Amero's behalf.

I have a call for donations, here:

http://lizditz.typepad.com/i_speak_of_dreams/2007/02/julie_ameros_le.html

DrumsNWhistles has a detailed post on background information with lots of links to answer commenter #11.

http://www.drumsnwhistles.com/2007/02/18/julie-amero-more-info/

JiBBeL said 1:26PM on 2-19-2007

She deserves to go to jail. This is kind of like Darwinism... she claims she was using the computer to check her e-mail, but she didn't have the brains to know how to turn off the computer? PUT A COAT OVER THE MONITOR! UNPLUG IT!!! TELL THE KIDS TO GET BACK IN THEIR SEATS!!! Give her a year in jail to learn a valuable lesson... Peace

thomashenwood said 11:18AM on 2-20-2007

Doesn't it depend how old the kids were, I can think of hundred of kids who would overjoyed to see so much pr0n for free in school!

AJ said 1:00PM on 2-20-2007

To Whom It May Concern:

With all due respect, even a little research into this matter would reveal that Julie Amero should not have been convicted and should not be facing potential prison time. Spyware, adware, and malware are rampant on the internet, and even computer savvy individuals can get caught in the web. As such, the fine state of Connecticut should NOT be wasting precious time, money and resources attempting to punish a teacher of our children, but instead should be devoting those same energies on finding the propagators of the filth that she inadvertently got ensnared in.

Sincerely,

AJ Kaplan

Robert said 2:03PM on 3-26-2007

I personaly am a front line tech with Dell, and I have 25-35 calls a day, MOST of them dealing with things like this, and most have anti spyware programs installed. I think this is a horrible travesty of justice, and should be stopped, by disbarring the DA, and possibly removing the whole higher staff of the school district, as they are realy to blame. They should be the ones on trial, and being ready to go to prison, for criminal negligence.

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