Man Pleads Guilty to Attempted USC Website Hacking, Email Accounts

An Aiken man pleaded guilty in federal court in Columbia on Friday for trying to hack into the University of South Carolina website to change his semester grades and stealing hundreds of usernames and passwords for personal gain, U.S. Attorney Bill Nettles said. 

Max Raymond Dufour, 21, pleaded guilty to information charging fraud and related activity in connection with access devices, according to a release.

Evidence presented at a plea hearing determined that from August 2010 through October 2011, Dufour used computer hacking software to steal more than two hundred usernames and passwords, Nettles said.  

Dufour was able to gain access to more than 50 email accounts without users’ authorization as well as financial and personal data. 

Dufour used the stolen information to make purchases for his own benefit and attempted to sell the information, according to the release.

He's also accused of impersonating an individual by hacking into his email account and website to solicit credit cards numbers. 

Authorities were alerted to Dufour’s illegal activity when he attempted to hack into the USC's website in order to change his semester grades.

Dufour faces up to 10 years in prison and/or a fine of $250,000.

The case was investigated by Secret Service agents, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jamie Schoen of the Columbia office handled the case.