People v. Angeles

180 Misc. 2d 146, 687 N.Y.S.2d 884, 1999 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 104
CourtCriminal Court of the City of New York
DecidedMarch 18, 1999
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 180 Misc. 2d 146 (People v. Angeles) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Criminal Court of the City of New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Angeles, 180 Misc. 2d 146, 687 N.Y.S.2d 884, 1999 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 104 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1999).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Gabriel W. Gorenstein, J.

The defendant is charged with unauthorized use of a computer (Penal Law § 156.05), attempted criminal possession of [148]*148computer related material (Penal Law §§ 110.00, 156.35), attempted unlawful duplication of computer related material (Penal Law §§ 110.00, 156.30 [1]) and criminal possession of stolen property in the fifth degree (Penal Law § 165.40). The information filed in this case alleges in substance that the defendant sold a computer list of Empire Car Service customers to an individual in exchange for United States currency. In addition, the information charges that: “(i) defendant did not have permission or authority to possess [the] list of customers; (ii) [the] list of customers could only be accessed and printed through [Empire Car Service’s] computer system; (iii) defendant did not have permission or authority to access or print through said computer system; and (iv) the value of [the] list of customers exceeds two thousand five hundred dollars.” The defendant moves to dismiss the information in its entirety. As set forth below, the defendant’s motion is granted in part and denied in part.

A. Unauthorized Use of a Computer

Penal Law § 156.05 provides that: “A person is guilty of unauthorized use of a computer when he knowingly uses or causes to be used a computer or computer service without authorization and the computer utilized is equipped or programmed with any device or coding system, a function of which is to prevent the unauthorized use of said computer or computer system.” Defendant argues that because the information does not allege that the computer he used had a “device or coding system”, the information is jurisdictionally defective for failing to “establish * * * every element of the oifense charged and the defendant’s commission thereof’ as required by CPL 100.40 (1) (c). The People, in their motion papers opposing defendant’s motion, fail even to address this argument.

The information is clear in alleging that the list obtained by the defendant came from the Empire Car Service’s computer system and that he had no authority to obtain access to that computer system. The statute, however, on its face does not make criminal the mere use or accessing of a computer system without permission or authority. The Legislature has imposed the additional requirement that the computer be “equipped or programmed with any device or coding system, a function of which is to prevent the unauthorized use of [the] computer or computer system.” (Penal Law § 156.05 [emphasis supplied]; see, People v Esposito, 144 Misc 2d 919, 923 [Sup Ct, NY County 1989].) The legislative history of the statute makes clear that [149]*149this requirement was included on the ground that “[s]uch protective devices provide the first line of defense against unauthorized intrusion into a computer system.” (See, Mem of Attorney-General in support of L 1986, ch 514, 1986 NY Legis Ann, at 233; accord, Governor’s Mem approving L 1986, ch 514, 1986 McKinney’s Session Laws of NY, at 3173 [“The bill is prophylactic as well as punitive. The computer industry is encouraged * * * to devise codes to limit unauthorized use”]; Donnino, Practice Commentary, McKinney’s Cons Laws of NY, Book 39, Penal Law art 156, at 284 [device or coding system requirement was incorporated into the law “in order to encourage greater self-protection on the part of the computer industry”].) The Legislature thus put computer owners on notice that in order to receive the protection of the criminal statute, they must equip their computers with some kind of protection mechanism, such as a password requirement or a lock.

The information in this case makes no allegations whatsoever regarding the existence of a device or coding system to prevent the unauthorized use of Empire Car Service’s computer. This case thus stands in contrast to People v Johnson (148 Misc 2d 103 [Crim Ct, NY County 1990]), where the court found that the facts pleaded “reasonably, albeit circumstantially, suggest the existence of such a device or coding system”. (Supra, at 108.) In the present case, to assume the existence of such a system would be pure conjecture. The mere allegation that an individual has obtained access to a computer without the owner’s authority is insufficient to plead a violation of Penal Law § 156.05. This count of the information is therefore dismissed.

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Related

People v. Klapper
28 Misc. 3d 225 (Criminal Court of the City of New York, 2010)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
180 Misc. 2d 146, 687 N.Y.S.2d 884, 1999 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 104, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-angeles-nycrimct-1999.