Ex-Reuters editor pleads not guilty in hacking case

Former Reuters.com deputy social media editor Matthew Keys pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to federal charges that he aided members of the Anonymous hacking collective.

A Reuters story states, “Keys was silent during the hearing in federal district court in Sacramento as his lawyer Jay Leiderman entered the plea. A status conference was set for June 12.

“‘He was a journalist in that chatroom, absolutely, but he didn’t do the acts he was accused of doing,’ Leiderman told reporters outside the courtroom. It appeared as if someone else assumed Keys’ chatroom identity, he said.

“Since the indictment, Keys has continued to tweet about himself and about news events. Thomson Reuters has confirmed that he no longer works at the company.

“The maximum for conviction on all three counts would be 25 years in prison, although actual sentences handed down by judges are often far less than the maximum.”

Read more here.