A former contract employee from Ohio has admitted to hacking into his previous employer’s computer network after being fired, according to an announcement by U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Maxwell Schultz, 35, of Columbus, was terminated from his position in the company’s IT department on May 14, 2021. Following his dismissal, Schultz accessed the company’s network by impersonating another contractor and obtaining login credentials.
Schultz executed a PowerShell script that reset around 2,500 passwords, which resulted in thousands of employees and contractors losing access to their computers across the country. He also searched for ways to delete logs and cleared multiple system records.
The breach led to more than $862,000 in damages for the company. These losses included employee downtime, interruptions in customer service, and labor costs associated with restoring the network.
Schultz acknowledged during his plea that he carried out the attack because he was upset about being fired.
Sentencing is scheduled for January 30, 2026 before U.S. District Judge Lee Rosenthal. Schultz could face up to ten years in federal prison and a maximum fine of $250,000.
The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rodolfo Ramirez and Michael Chu are prosecuting.
