Former SF Engineer Sentenced to Four Years in Prison

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) _ Former San Francisco engineer Terry Childs, who was convicted of felony computer tampering, has been sentenced to four years in state prison.

It was in July of 2008 when the city was locked out of its network for 12 days as Childs refused to hand over passwords.

Judge Teri Jackson ruled that Childs would serve four years, with time served and credit, although he is likely to serve only four to six months in state prison.

San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris said she believes the sentence is a fair one and that Childs "manipulated the power of the system for his own benefit."

Childs also lied on his application so the city was unaware of his prior felony convictions for robbery and burglary.

Prosecutors are also seeking about $1.5 million in restitution from Childs for costs associated with technicians trying to regain access to the network and later doing vulnerability testing.

His restitution hearing is scheduled for August 13.