An East Meadow man was arrested Thursday for allegedly trying to hack his way to find out who was plotting against his high-profiled father, according The Star Ledger.
Joseph Roque, 22, was allegedly contacted by his father, West New York Mayor Felix Roque, about trying to figure out who was looking to bring the political leader down. Joseph's internet-based operation was tracked by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the father and son were both arrested.
"The elected leader of West New York and his son allegedly hacked into computers to intimidate constituents who were simply using the Internet to exercise their Constitutional rights to criticize the government," U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman told NJ.com.
Representatives for the mayor said that the charges against Felix Roque are off base.
""He is not guilty of anything," Bryan Blaney said. "I’m trying to figure out why he is named in this complaint."
The issue started when the website, recallroque.com, was launched. Felix Roque allegedly enlisted the help of Joseph Roque to find out who was behind the site's creation.
From The Star-Ledger:
Joseph Roque first set up a bogus e-mail account and e-mailed the website, offering "very good leads," according to the complaint. He also requested a meeting to share information. Using the pseudonym of the e-mail account he set up, he said: "I’m not sure why this is being held as a secret organization. We need to stand up and fight and get our town back! I have good info for you but I do not want my name to be exposed for fear of retaliation so if we can please meet to discuss or even a phone call would do," the complaint said.
The website's creator, who still remains unidentified, did not go for the bait. This lead to Joseph Roque searching for hacking tips via the web, and he was eventually caught.
Both men were released on a $100,000 unsecured bond. As part of the bail conditions, Roque's computer use is now limited to financial, legal, educational and professional purposes.
If deemed guilty of the charges, the Roques face $250,000 fines each and up to five years in prison.
What do you think the punishment should be for the father and son? Tell us in the comments.
