Albert Gonzalez Pleads Guilty: Claims U.S. Secret Service Role

Albert Gonzalez, the hacker who pleaded guilty to leading one of the largest cases of credit card theft in the U.S., is asking a judge to toss out the pleas, arguing that they were part of his assignments as a paid government informant. "I still believe that I was acting on behalf of the United States Secret Service and that I was authorized and directed to engage in the conduct I committed as part of my assignment to gather intelligence and seek out international cybercriminals," Gonzalez wrote in a 25-page petition filed March 24 with the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts and published on the Threat Level blog. "I now know and understand that I have been used as a scapegoat to cover someone's mistakes."

"All of this inflated my ego and made me feel very important and made me feel like I was really a part of the Secret Service with the backing and support of the government agency," Gonzalez wrote. "One day I was unknown and nothing and the next day I am being hailed as a genius and giving presentations to Secret Service agents in Washington, D.C. All of this was mind-boggling for me."

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