Chris Correa, the former St. Louis Cardinals scouting director who illegally “hacked” the Houston Astros’ scouting intel in 2013, has been sentenced to 46 months in prison.
The term “hacked” is used pretty loosely here because, according to prosecutors, Correa managed to log into the Astros’ scouting database using the password of a former Cardinals employee who had since joined the Houston organization. Being the Cardinals, I’m sure it was a classy hack, but that’s not exactly Mr. Robot type stuff.
Regardless, Correa, who was fired after news of the hack went public last summer, plead guilty and will now have to spend nearly four years in prison (barring an early release).
After gaining access to the database, Correa is said have to have “improperly downloaded a file of the Astros’ scouting list of every eligible player for that year’s draft” as well as viewed notes of trade discussions and other organizational details. The hack was estimated to have cost the Astros around $1.7 million in damages.
Before sentencing, Correa read a statement and expressed that he was “overwhelmed with remorse and regret for my actions.”
“I violated my values and it was wrong … I behaved shamefully,” he said. “The whole episode represents the worst thing I’ve done in my life by far.”
Major League Baseball has the option to further discipline the Cardinals with fines or loss of draft picks, but that has yet to be determined. Either way, let it be known from here on out that the Cards have the Best Criminals In Baseball.
(Via AP)
