California man tied to ex-Rep. Katie Hill's campaign accused of hacking primary rival's website
The
FBI has arrested a California man linked to the 2018 campaign of former Rep. Katie Hill, D-Calif., and accused him of carrying out cyberattacks on the website of one of her Democratic primary rivals.
In a criminal
complaint filed Wednesday, FBI Special Agent Elliot Weideman accused Arthur Jan Dam of "intentionally damaging and attempting to damage a protected computer." He also claimed Dam was involved in four cyberattacks that disrupted the website of one of Hill's primary opponents.
The complaint did not name the candidate whose website was targeted by the attacks in the spring of 2018. However, identifying information in the document indicates the victim was Bryan Caforio, who lost to Hill by fewer than 3,000 votes in the so-called "jungle primary" in California's 25th District.
“I’m absolutely shocked and saddened to learn today that Katie Hill’s campaign associates hacked my campaign in order to help her advance through the primary,” Caforio told The Intercept.
“This should serve as a reminder that Russia is not the only threat to our democracy. There are bad actors on all sides who will do anything for their own personal gain, and we need to come together as Americans to defend our country and hold everyone responsible accountable.”
The website
reported that Hill's Federal Election Commission records include a $500 in-kind donation from Dam for "graphic design and website security consultation."
The complaint also found Dam to “be connected to the cyber-attacks through subscriber information, IP addresses, geolocation history, and open sources, including through his employer and his wife, K.O., who worked for one of the Victim’s opponents." Dam’s wife, Kelsey O’Hara, was Hill’s fundraiser during the campaign and later served as her district director after she won the seat.
California man tied to ex-Rep. Katie Hill's campaign accused of hacking primary rival's website