A former congressional Democratic staff member pleaded guilty on Friday to posting private information about Republican senators who took part in the hearings on sexual assault allegations against then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
Jackson Cosko, 27, pleaded guilty to two counts of making public restricted personal information and one count each of computer fraud, witness tampering and obstruction of justice, The Washington Post reported.
The five federal felony counts carry maximum penalties up to 20 years in prison. In accordance with a plea agreement, prosecutors said a sentencing range of 46 to 57 months applied under federal guidelines.{mosads}
Cosko, who has served about four months in jail since he was charged, will be sentenced on June 13, the newspaper noted.
The agreement comes after Cosko was accused of releasing the private information of five Republican senators last year.
Cosko was reportedly upset after he had been fired from the office of Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) in May. He said in court filings that he had “engaged in an extraordinarily extensive data theft scheme” by burglarizing the office several times after his ouster to steal sensitive information he could use later.
According to the Post, Cosko said he “became angry” on Sept. 27 as he watched Kavanaugh, President Trump’s then-Supreme Court nominee, testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Kavanaugh’s hearing came after he was accused of sexual assault by Christine Blasey Ford.
Ford testified before the Senate panel in late September that she had been assaulted by Kavanaugh when they were in high school in the 1980s. He vehemently denied Ford’s and two other women’s allegations in his own subsequent hearing.
Cosko admitted to the court that he responded to the contentious hearings by anonymously editing the Wikipedia pages of five Republican senators to add their phone numbers and home addresses, according to the Post.
The information was quickly removed when it was discovered, and aides contacted authorities.
Cosko said the group included GOP Senate Judiciary Committee members Lindsey Graham (S.C.), Mike Lee (Utah) and Orrin Hatch (Utah) as well as Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).
Cosko was caught sneaking into Hassan’s office after 10 p.m. to log on to an aide’s computer. He was recognized by another staffer and ordered to leave, according to court papers.
The other aide then received a threatening email minutes later with the subject line “I own Everything.” The message reportedly stated, “If you tell anyone I will leak it all. Emails signal conversations gmails. Senators children’s health information and socials,” according to plea papers reviewed by the Post.
Cosko was arrested on Oct. 3.