Famous Romanian hacker Guccifer may plead guilty to federal charges in the US

Famous Romanian hacker Marcel Lazar, better known as Guccifer, is expected to plead guilty to federal charges in the US. He has been charged with breaking into computer accounts of the Bush family, former Secretary of State Colin Powell, and others. The Romanian pleaded not guilty a month ago to charges such as cyberstalking, unauthorized access to computers, and obstruction of justice. A change-of-plea hearing is to take place on Wednesday, May 25, at the US District Court in Alexandria, according to court records cited by Federaltimes.com. However, the court records don’t specify which charges Lazar will accept. Marcel Lazar has also been convicted in Romania for breaking into the email accounts of several local officials, including former Romanian Intelligence Service - SRI director George Maior. Earlier this month, he claimed that he has also hacked into former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s personal email server, in 2013. However, he hasn't brought any evidence to support this. The Romanian hacker was extradited to the US in March, following a ruling of the High Court of Cassation and Justice. The High Court overruled a decision of the Timisoara Court of Appeal, which rejected the US authorities’ extradition request in February. Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com