William P Genovese Jr, from Connecticut, offered to sell a copy of the stolen code on his website shortly after it was released onto the internet in February 2004. He instructed buyers, including an investigator from Microsoft and an undercover FBI agent, to pay $20 into a PayPal account in order to gain access to the code.
Genovese, 28, who used the handle “illwill” online, was arrested in November and charged with the unlawful distribution of a trade secret. He was not charged with the initial theft of the code, which is still under investigation.
According to the Associated Press, Genovese pleaded guilty in a Manhattan court on Monday. He could face up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, but CNET News reports that prosecutors are only seeking a sentence of between 10 and 30 months.
