Suspect arrested in threat to power grid
SACRAMENTO — The FBI arrested a suspect Wednesday in a computer-tampering incident at the headquarters of the agency that runs most of California’s electrical grid.
Lonnie Charles Denison, 32, an employee of San Diego-based SAIC, a contractor working at the California Independent System Operator, was charged with destruction of an energy facility following an investigation by the Sacramento Joint Terrorism Task Force.
For the record:
12:00 a.m. April 20, 2007 For The Record
Los Angeles Times Friday April 20, 2007 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 1 inches; 48 words Type of Material: Correction
Computer-tampering case: An article in Business on Thursday about the arrest of a suspect in a computer-tampering incident at the agency that runs most of California’s electrical grid referred to the suspect’s employer by the abbreviation SAIC. The full name of the company is Science Applications International Corp.
According to court documents, Denison used his employee security access to enter a high-security data center about 11:30 p.m. Sunday. He broke a protective glass seal on an “emergency power off” button.
Power was cut to most of the facility, preventing Cal-ISO operators from communicating with the Western energy market for two hours.
The action left the California electrical grid vulnerable to shortages, court documents said.
The effects of the power shutdown could have been far more devastating had they occurred Monday morning, said an affidavit signed by Matthew St. Amant, a California Highway Patrol officer assigned to the FBI’s terrorism task force.
Also Monday, Cal-ISO was the target of a bomb threat that forced evacuation of the building for five afternoon hours.
During that time, control of California’s power grid was passed to a Southern California operations center in Alhambra. No arrests have been filed in connection with that incident.
Denison is scheduled to appear in federal court in Sacramento today. He faces up to five years in prison, if convicted.
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