PHOENIX - Tavis Tso, 40, of Tempe, Ariz., a member of the Navajo Nation, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge David G. Campbell to four years of federal probation. Tso was also ordered to pay $9,145 in restitution to the victim of his crime. Tso had previously pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court, Tso provided information technology (“IT") services for a company located in Phoenix, Ariz. Tso subsequently used the company’s account information to make changes to the company’s website. These changes prevented the company’s employees from using their email accounts and redirected the company’s homepage to a blank page. Tso then offered to return everything to normal for $10,000. When the company refused to pay the requested amount, Tso redirected the company’s homepage to a pornographic website. Visitors to the company’s website were redirected to the pornographic website for several days before the website was returned to normal.
The investigation in this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution was handled by Matthew Binford and James R. Knapp, Assistant U.S. Attorneys, District of Arizona, Phoenix.
CASE NUMBER: CR-16-1502-PHX-DGC
RELEASE NUMBER: 2017-089_Tso
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
