Palin e-mail invader reports to Kentucky prison camp

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- A former Tennessee college student convicted of hacking Sarah Palin's e-mail account reported to an unfenced federal prison camp in Kentucky to begin a yearlong sentence that could end sooner if he behaves.

A Federal Bureau of Prisons spokesman said Thursday that 23-year-old David Kernell reported to the minimum security camp at Ashland, Ky., on Monday to begin a sentence that could end Nov. 23 with "good conduct time."

A Knoxville jury in late April convicted Kernell of unauthorized access to a protected computer and destroying records to impede a federal investigation. The jury acquitted him of wire fraud and deadlocked on an identity theft charge.

Kernell was a University of Tennessee economics major when he deduced the answers to security questions and gained access to Palin's private e-mail account just weeks before the 2008 election.

Kernell's attorney, Wade Davies of Knoxville, did not return a telephone message seeking comment Thursday.

The former Alaska governor and her daughter Bristol testified that the hacking, followed by Kernell's bragging online, while providing a password and Palin family telephone numbers to others, caused them emotional hardship.

Davis conceded at the trial that Kernell, the son of a Democratic lawmaker in Tennessee, made "some stupid decisions" in a prank but did not intend to harm anyone.

The sentence announced in November by U.S. District Judge Thomas W. Phillips fell short of the 18 month prison term sought by federal prosecutors, who contended that Kernell wanted to "derail" Palin's campaign as John McCain's running mate. Prosecutors said there should be punishment to deter other would-be hackers during election races.

Bureau of Prisons spokesman Edmond Ross said Kernell at the camp would have work assignments, possibly landscaping, food services or maintenance, that range in pay from 12 cents to 40 cents an hour.

"All federal inmates are expected to work," Ross said in a telephone interview.

Ross said the unfenced satellite camp at Ashland, in northeastern Kentucky, has 315 inmates who live in a dormitory-style setting.

Ross said that while federal prison camps have the "least amount of security," inmates know they are confined to the grounds. He said inmates generally have access to education and recreation programs and religious services and are allowed visitors.

Ross said Kernell near the end of his sentence would likely be transferred to a residential re-entry center, possibly at Knoxville.

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