This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A 28-year-old Utah man who is accused of hacking the United Airlines website for travel vouchers has resolved the criminal case against him.
Ammon Cunningham, of Saratoga Springs, pleaded guilty to second-degree felony pattern of unlawful activity on Tuesday. The plea was held in abeyance, meaning if he pays restitution, completes 80 hours of community service and breaks no other laws in the next year, the charge will be reduced to a class A misdemeanor.
The man originally faced charges of computer crimes, theft and communications fraud, but those charges were dismissed as part of a plea deal, according to court records.
Cunningham, who is also know as Jacob Colvin, was accused of unlawfully accessing the airline's website in 2012 and obtained personal identification numbers for 120 of the airline's "electronic travel certificates" that belonged to United Airlines customers.
Prosecutors allege that Cunningham either used the certificates for himself or sold them through online classified sites. Total losses for the airline due to the stolen ETCs exceeded $58,000, the Utah Attorney General's Office complaint states.
Furthermore, prosecutors allege, Cunningham emailed the airline at the end of his alleged hacking and theft spree offering to reveal a security gap in the website — in return for $10,000, and first-class airfare for his family to an unspecified location.
Twitter: @jm_miller