From emmanuel@well.sf.ca.us Wed Feb 22 17:11:15 EST 1995
Article: 40415 of alt.2600
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From: emmanuel@well.sf.ca.us (Emmanuel Goldstein)
Newsgroups: alt.2600
Subject: Mitnick comments from the past
Date: 19 Feb 1995 23:22:19 GMT
Organization: The Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link, Sausalito, CA
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Back in 1991, Kevin wrote a commentary for 2600 on the Katie Hafner/
John Markoff book Cyberpunk. As far as I know, this is is the only
time he ever made a public comment on any of this.

*****

I am sad to report that part one of the book Cyberpunk, specifically
the chapters on "Kevin: The Dark Side Hacker", is 20 percent fabricated
and libelous. It seems that the authors acted with malice to cause me
harm after my refusal to cooperate. Interestingly enough, I did offer
to participate as a factual information source if I was compensated
for my time, but the authors refused, claiming it would taint my
objectivity. So consequently, I declined to cooperate.

However, my co-defendant, Lenny Dicicco, of Data Processing Design,
chose to participate probably in the hopes of being recognized as a
"hero" who was responsible for bringing me to justice. Lenny seemed to
have gained unquestionable credibility when he turned us both into
Digital and the U.S. government. Surprisingly, he who "snitches"
first is believed to be totally credible by the U.S. government.

Case in point: most of the U.S. government's argument to hold me
without bail was based on false information (this was later admitted
by the U.S. government). This information, I believe, was mainly from
Lenny Dicicco and his cronies (Steven Rhoades of Pasadena, CA). So once
Lenny lied to the U.S. government he couldn't change his story, since
he could risk violating his plea agreement or being indicted on federal
perjury charges. Unfortunately, this probably resulted in a lot of false
material being introduced by Lenny Dicicco, and Katie Hafner printing it
as factual information in Cyberpunk.

Katie probably wasn't happy with me for refusing to help her, so
part one of the book was written with a strong anti-Mitnick,
pro-Dicicco bias. This bias rewarded Lenny for his participation
but robbed the readers of the real truthful facts! Lenny was described
simply as an "errand boy" in our hacking exploits. This is the furthest
thing from the truth! Lenny was just as culpable as me; we were hacking
partners for over 10 years. What do you believe?

Let's examine some interesting cover-ups Katie Hafner did for Lenny
Dicicco:

1) In the galley copy of Cyberpunk, Katie Hafner wrote that Lenny Dicicco
 was going to work for DEC as a computer security consultant in lieu of
 court ordered restitution ($12,000). Why was the information eliminated
 from the final printed copy? Probably DEC wouldn't be happy with Lenny -
 he did provide Katie with enormous detail regarding the DEC break-in.
 Not to mention the controversial issue regarding DEC hiring the person
 that penetrated their network.

2) On page 80, Katie wrote that Lenny Dicicco obtained a false identity
 to obtain a job that required a "clean" driving record. The name Katie
 printed was "Robert Andrew Bollinger". This is false! The name of the
 "false" identity was "Russell Anthony Brooking". But why would Katie
 print this erroneous information? I know why! Lenny was working under
 the fraudulent identity (Russell Anthony Brooking) while he was
 collecting unemployment under his real name (Leonard Mitchell Dicicco)
 thereby defrauding the State of California! Now Katie wouldn't want the
 "truth" to be known - it might cause Lenny to refuse to participate in
 possible upcoming interviews and talk shows promoting her book.

I could go on and on, even simple verifiable information. For example,
on page 84, Katie describes a scenario where I asked Bonnie out on a
date. To paint an unsavory picture, she stated that I was always eating
in the computer room when talking with Bonnie. Very interesting, since
at the Computer Learning Center of Los Angeles, no food or drinks can
ever be brought into the computer room. Even though this scenario is
pretty insignificant, it demonstrates the introduction of inaccurate and
misrepresented facts.

Again, when describing my arrest at USC in 1982, Katie wrote on page 71
that I taunted Mark Brown (USC System Manager) in his investigative
techniques. This is truly amazing, since I never spoke with Mark Brown.

There are many, many false statements, misrepresentations, and inaccurate
stories in part one of this book. I could only say it is sad that the
authors were too cheap to compensate me for my time. Instead they hid
under the ruse of "tainted objectivity". This resulted in my refusal to
participate.

In summary, Cyberpunk is an interesting read-through as long as readers
understand this purported non-fiction book is not what it claims to be.
Part one of the book is 20 percent inaccurate. I believe the authors
acted with malice due to my refusal to participate for free. Katie
Hafner's only hope was seeking the cooperation of my convicted
co-defendant, Lenny Dicicco. She did gain his full cooperation which
resulted in a strong bias and misrepresentation of facts.


2600 Magazine, Volume 8, Number 2, Summer 1991