Indiana resident James M. DiBlasio woke up to more than a hangover the morning after a three-day drinking binge. At some point during the 72 hours that he was drunk he managed to hack into the Denver-based server of his employer, Ski.com, and change various data such as flight reservations and contact information. According to a statement by DiBlasio’s attorney, H. Michael Steinberg, he woke up the morning after “wondering what he had done, and trying to fix the area he had damaged.”
DiBlasio was convicted of two felonies for hacking into his employer’s computers. He originally faced 10 charges, fines between $100,000 and $250,000 and up to three years in prison if convicted, however that was reduced following a plea agreement. Fortunately for Mr. DiBlasio, he only has to pay $13,096 in monthly installments of at least $250 as well as spend six months under house arrest followed by three years of probation.
Ski.com president Harry Peisach took a soft-hearted tone when asked about the event. The Aspen Times reports:
“We’re happy there’s a resolution … I’m sorry what happened to him but it was important for us to present this to law-enforcement authorities and this was the appropriate course for them to take.”
On top of wearing an electronic monitoring device, DiBlasio “will not be allowed to have a cordless telephone, an answering machine, or any other ‘special services’ related to telecommunications,” the judge ruled.


