Hacking probe in Ohio rape case targets Ky. man

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- A central Kentucky man who goes by the online name KyAnonymous said Tuesday he is the target of an investigation into who hacked into an Ohio high school's computer and posted a video related the rape of a teenage girl at an alcohol-fueled party.

Hacker activists helped propel coverage of the Steubenville rape case, in part by re-posting a 12-minute Internet video showing a former student joking about the attack and the victim, a West Virginia teenager.

Deric Lostutter, 26, told The Associated Press he posted the video on the school's athletics booster website, but he said he didn't hack into the site or any computers. He said someone else, who he wouldn't identify, hacked into the website.

Two football players were convicted of rape. Ma'Lik Richmond, 16, was sentenced to at least a year in the state juvenile detention system. Trent Mays, 17, was sentenced to at least two years in juvenile detention. He was also convicted of photographing the underage girl naked.

Lostutter believes he could go to prison for posting the video.

"I'm facing 25 years in prison when rapists face one," Lostutter said.

Lostutter's attorney, Jason Flores-Williams of New Mexico, works with the Whistleblowers Defense League. He said he expected his client to be indicted in as soon as a few weeks.

"Deric is innocent and this is a waste of taxpayer dollars. We'll be battling," he said.

It's not clear whether he will face any charges. Kyle Edelen, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office in Lexington, declined to comment.

The Steubenville case gained international attention through the work of bloggers and hacker activists who alleged a cover-up to protect other football players. The suspicions hinged on the presence of other students when the attack happened, including at least two who captured it on their cellphones.

Three teen witnesses were granted immunity from prosecution by a judge to allow them to testify against the two players.

Ohio prosecutors are investigating whether coaches or school administrators knew of the rape allegation but failed to report it.

In January, a 12-minute video that first appeared on YouTube after the rape and mocked the attack was reposted on the high school's fan website, RollRedRoll.

The FBI raided Lostutter's home in April, seeking computer equipment, records related to RollRedRoll and a Guy Fawkes mask, he said.

The warrant is not publically available through the federal courts.

Lostutter said he worked with the online hacking group Anonymous and that a group of FBI agents, joined by two Kentucky State Troopers and an officer from the Clark County Sheriff's Office spent three hours in his home. During that time, Lostutter said he and two others were handcuffed and not allowed to leave or shown the warrant until the search was over.

Lostutter said wasn't told of his rights before being handcuffed.

"When I realized I wasn't Mirandized, I was like 'score'," Lostutter said.

Lostutter said he has tried to settle the case with the Justice Department.

"There's no reason why I should face more time for compromising a site by guessing a security question to reset a password ... than those people who held down a drunk, underage teenager," Lostutter said. "And, I did it in the name of good. And, I didn't even do it."

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