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FBI Raids Suspected Palin Hacker

Tennessee student's home raided

By Peter Fearon,  Newser Staff

Posted Sep 22, 2008 5:34 AM CDT
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(Newser) – A 20-year-old student suspected of hacking into Sarah Palin's Yahoo email account found himself on the wrong end of an FBI search warrant while throwing a party Saturday night, reports NBC affiliate WBIR-TV in Knoxville. David Kernell, a student at the University of Tennessee, is the son of a prominent Democratic state legislator.

A blogger using the name Rubico revealed last week that he had hacked into Palin's email account using information like her ZIP code and birth date to re-set her password, and claimed he posted the contents on a website as a prank. No charges have been filed, but the online identity was traced back to Kernell.

This screenshot from Gawker.com shows an email account of Sarah Palin,
This screenshot from Gawker.com shows an email account of Sarah Palin,   (AP Photo)
Sarah Palin at a Florida rally Sunday. The FBI has stepped up the investigation into who hacked into her private e-mail account.
Sarah Palin at a Florida rally Sunday. The FBI has stepped up the investigation into who hacked into her private e-mail account.   (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
David Kernell, a 20-year-old University of Tennessee student is suspected of hacking into Sarah Palin's email.
David Kernell, a 20-year-old University of Tennessee student is suspected of hacking into Sarah Palin's email.
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Yahoo • Department of Justice • University of Tennessee • FBI • email • hacking • Election 2008 • Sarah Palin • David Kernell • Rubico • Mike Kernell • Sarah Palin emails

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