Journalist Matthew Keys has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for his conviction on charges he conspired with the hacking group Anonymous to break into the Los Angeles Times website and alter a story.
Despite his role in the news media, federal prosecutors in Sacramento say Keys, 29, of Vacaville, was simply a disgruntled employee striking back at his former employer.
Sacramento U.S. District Judge Kimberly Mueller sentenced him Wednesday after he was convicted in October of providing login credentials to the Tribune Co.'s computer system. His attorneys said they plan to appeal.
The company owns the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Baltimore Sun and other media companies, including FOX affiliate KTXL-TV in Sacramento. Keys worked at the television station until he was fired two months before the December 2010 hacking.
He was convicted in October of providing the login information that a hacker used to gain access to the Times computer system and change the story. Prosecutors say Keys posted the information in an Internet chat room, urged hackers to attack his former employer and praised the outcome.