Fired Employee of Major L.I. Real Estate Firm Arrested

Defendant arraigned on tampering charges

MINEOLA, NY - Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice announced today that Michael Schneider, 47, was arrested and arraigned on the charges of Computer Tampering in the Second Degree, a Class D Felony, for allegedly hacking into his former employer’s computer system and deleting sensitive data.

District Attorney Rice alleges that Mr. Schneider, a former technology department employee of the Blumenfeld Development Group of 300 Robins Lane, Syosset, New York, remotely accessed his former employer’s computer system from his Massapequa home and deleted numerous files from the Syosset firm’s computer system.

A person is guilty of computer tampering in the second degree when he commits the crime of computer tampering in the fourth degree and he intentionally alters in any manner or destroys computer data or a computer program so as to cause damages in aggregate amount exceeding three thousand dollars. (PL §156.26)

Shortly after Mr. Schneider was fired by the company in November, 2005, members of the technology department at the company discovered sensitive data had been remotely accessed and deleted.  Over the ensuing months, additional security features were added which allowed the technicians at Blumenfeld to trace subsequent deletions back to the defendant’s Massapequa residence.

The District Attorney would like to credit Detective Robert Shaw of the Computer Crime Section of Nassau County Police Department’s Crimes Against Property Squad, under the supervision of CAP Squad Commanding Officer, Sergeant Lucy Graziano, for their investigation of this case.

The defendant was arraigned this afternoon in First District Court, Hempstead, where he was released without bail. The case is being handled by ADA Stephen Treglia of the Technology Crimes Unit under the supervision of Economic Crimes Bureau Chief Diane Peress and Investigations Executive Meg Reiss.

The charges are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

Name: Michael Schneider
Age: 47
Address: 44 Ford Drive West, Massapequa, NY
Charges: Computer Tampering 2°