Marcel Lehel Lazar, the Romanian hacker known online as “Guccifer,” was sentenced on Thursday to 52 months in a U.S. prison by a federal court in Alexandria, Virginia.
The 44-year-old is famous for exposing Hillary Clinton’s private email domain, which she used to conduct official business when she served as Secretary of State.
From Reuters:
Lazar has said in interviews he breached Clinton’s private server at her home in Chappaqua, New York, but law enforcement and national security officials say that claim is meritless.
Lazar is believed to have hacked into email accounts of about 100 victims between 2012 and 2014.
They include prominent political figures such as former Secretary of State Colin Powell, a relative of former President George W. Bush and Sidney Blumenthal, a former Clinton White House aide and an unofficial adviser to Clinton. Clinton is now the Democratic nominee for president.
Lazar leaked online memos Blumenthal sent Clinton that were addressed to her private email account, which was used during her time as secretary of state to conduct both personal and work business in lieu of a government account.
Clinton’s email arrangement, which became the subject of an FBI investigation, has drawn intense scrutiny from Republicans attempting to sow doubt about her honesty ahead of the Nov. 8 presidential election.
Lazar pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge James C. Cacheris of the Eastern District of Virginia on May 25, 2016, according to the US Justice Department’s website.
The DOJ has thanked the Romanian government for its cooperation and assistance in prosecuting Lazar.