Lexis-Nexis Hacker, On Bond, Robs Cars

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As a followup to this story here, a hacker named Justin Perras, who cautioned me about “Angering the Internet Gods” when I wrote about him last, was busted in Fairhaven, Mass for breaking into cars and stealing stuff. He was a member of a small ring of thieves that specialized in stealing stuff from cars and then selling the items at a pawn shop.

He was still awaiting trial for his hacking against Lexis Nexis and for swiping data from celebrity phones, including Paris Hilton. He was identified by a photograph from an ATM in which he attempted to retrieve cash with a stolen ATM card. Part of the condition of his release was a 25,000 dollar bond and to agree not to use a computer, nor commit a crime. Many of the items he was stealing from the car were computers, which he used.

From Perras’ Hometown Paper, the SouthCoast Today here:

Justin Perras, 20, one of the suspects Fairhaven police arrested last week in connection with a string of vehicle break-ins, has a federal court case pending for his alleged role as part of a group that breached LexisNexis data in 2005, gaining access to personal data for more than 310,000 people. Members of the same group allegedly hacked into Paris Hilton’s cell phone in 2005, stealing contact numbers and racy photographs. One of Mr. Perras’ friends, a juvenile, pleaded guilty to the hack.

Fairhaven Police Chief Gary F. Souza said he heard from the Secret Service shortly after his officers arrested Mr. Perras.

“From what we understand, one of the conditions of his release is that he wasn’t supposed to be playing with computers,” he said. “And apparently he was, with the stuff that was stolen.”

While he awaits trial, Mr. Perras was released from federal custody. According to court records, the conditions of that release required his payment of a $25,000 bond.

He was ordered to surrender all travel documents and forbidden to use the Internet or commit any other crimes. Court records say he was supposed to maintain his residence at 116 David St. in New Bedford unless travelling to federal court in Florida, although the Fairhaven police list his address as Pembroke Avenue in Acushnet.

Chief Souza’s department first encountered Mr. Perras in surveillance photographs obtained at 3:56 a.m. July 31 by an ATM on Rockdale Avenue, in New Bedford.

In the photo, Mr. Perras has his shirt pulled over his nose and mouth and was using a stolen ATM card, Chief Souza said.

Like New Bedford, Dartmouth, Acushnet and Rochester, Fairhaven has been struggling with more than a hundred robberies with one common feature the crooks simply opened unlocked cars and pilfered the cash, laptops, iPods and other items left inside.

The surveillance photo was one of the first breaks in the case. Fairhaven police sent it to local media, and received a flood of tips. Eventually, those led to the arrests of Mr. Perras and a New Bedford couple who allegedly worked with him on the break-ins.

I wonder if Justin Perras took my earlier advice and got his soap on a rope?