Here's what the wife says about that[1], for the record:

> The Origins of a Retaliatory Prosecution (Texas, 2019-2022)

> Early 2019: Conrad Rockenhaus, a supporter of free speech, runs Tor exit nodes used by journalists and activists. Federal agents demand he assist them in decrypting traffic; he repeatedly refuses, asserting his constitutional rights.

> The Coerced Confession: The case against him began when he was forced to confess to a non-violent CFAA (computer crime) offense while under the influence of prescribed painkillers and not lucid following a major surgery.

> The Pretextual Arrest: Just months before the 5-year statute of limitations was set to expire, the federal government arrests Conrad on the CFAA charge. The family alleges this was a pretext for his refusal to cooperate on the Tor matter.

[1] https://rockenhaus.com/press-kit/

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tptacek 14 hours ago | parent [-]

All that is as may be, but the CFAA charge here isn't pretextual; what he's alleged to have done is pretty serious by any standard. I have no trouble believing that the prosecution was motivated by Tor drama, but all that tells me is that the DOJ had real cards to play, and they played them.

My guess is that things would have gone substantially worse for this person had he taken that case to trial.

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heavyset_go 14 hours ago | parent [-]

Having seen the system up close, I hesitate to draw conclusions from cases that don't go to trial. Doesn't really sound like they have the means to afford trial, or at least a chance at a fair one.

	▲	tptacek 14 hours ago \| parent [-]
		That's a pretty good reason not to break into your former employer's data center to unplug a bunch of servers because you're mad they terminated your contract. That would not have been a difficult case to prove up.