Man suspected of hijacking city's network seeks $3M
By: Brent Begin
Examiner Staff Writer
February 4, 2009
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| Terry Childs, a 43-year-old former San Francisco Department of Telecommunications and Information Services network engineer, is charged with tampering with The City's computer network. (Cindy Chew/The Examiner) |
SAN FRANCISCO — The computer expert accused of holding The City’s central network hostage for more than a week last summer has filed a $3 million claim against San Francisco, arguing that his suspension and arrest violated his civil rights, The Examiner has learned.
Terry Childs, 44, remains in custody on four felony counts of computer-network tampering and one count of causing losses of more than $200,000, after city officials called in a battalion of outside computer consultants and city employees to search the network for booby traps. The total estimated cost to The City is about $1 million.
In July, Childs was placed on administrative leave without pay from his job as a Department of Technology network engineer. His claim, filed Jan. 8, said the suspension was based on his boss “falsely alleging that he committed a criminal act of withholding a confidential password, leading to his wrongful arrest.”
The claim — a precursor to a lawsuit — seeks economic damages of $1 million, another $1 million for emotional distress, $500,000 for attorney fees and $500,000 in special damages.
City Attorney Dennis Herrera denied the claim Jan. 23.
“We think the allegations are completely without merit,” said Herrera spokesman Matt Dorsey.
Childs’ claim is being handled by attorney John F. Prentice, a former lawyer at the San Francisco Police Officers Association known for defending city workers in employment disputes.
The claim comes as Childs’ defense attorney, Richard Shikman, filed a new motion asking that three charges against his client be dismissed. The motion, filed Jan. 27 in San Francisco Superior Court, challenges the vague wording of the charges, which the filing said failed to specify the exact nature of the alleged violations. A hearing for the motion is scheduled for Feb. 13.
Shikman has argued that Childs never intended to harm the system but may not have followed department protocol.
Prosecutors have alleged that Childs rigged The City’s FiberWAN network, which handles most of its computer traffic, with his own passwords, denied access to other network administrators and installed devices on the system that could have caused a full failure if power were to be shut down.
Childs refused to relinquish the secret access codes for a week, until he was visited at his Hall of Justice jail cell by “the only person he could trust”: Mayor Gavin Newsom. Newsom is expected to take the stand when the criminal case resumes.
Shikman and Prentice did not return calls for comment Tuesday.
