Man peads guilty to cyber-attack against police union website - KMOV.com

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (KMOV.com) -- A man is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to a cyber-attack against the St. Louis County Police Association website.

Court documents state that on December 2, the group ‘Rebel But Gangster Black Rebels’ used Twitter to promote a cyber-attack against the police union website SLCPA.org. The group sent out Twitter messages which contacted a link for a Distributed Denial of Service attack. The cyber-attack was done in conjunction with the group ‘Operation Ferguson,’ which claimed to be affiliated to the group ‘Anonymous.’

The cyber-attack shutdown the police association’s website.

An investigation revealed the group’s Twitter account was solely operated by Justin Payne, an employee of the Veteran’s Administration.

Payne was taken into custody in January after an investigation into his Twitter account revealed messages associated with killing law enforcement officers, according to officials.

When Payne was taken into custody, authorities said, a glass container containing a flammable liquid mix of gasoline, water and ethanol, commonly known as a Molotov cocktail, was found in the trunk of his car.

The 33-year-old plead guilty to one felony count of possession of an unregistered firearm and one count of damage to a protected computer, according to court documents. Payne’s sentencing will take place on December 7.

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