DOJ unseals charges against 'Anonymous' co-founder for 2021 Texas GOP data theft

The Justice Department has unsealed charges against a man reported to be one of the co-founders of "hacktivist" collective Anonymous for allegedly hacking the Texas GOP website in 2021.

Aubrey Cottle, 37, was arrested and charged in connection to the theft of data from the Texas Republican Party and the defacement of the party's official website on Sept. 11, 2021, according to federal court records unsealed last week.

Cottle is a security researcher and co-founder of the worldwide hacking group Anonymous, according to records.

The records alleged the hackers claimed to be with Anonymous and replaced the website's banner with cartoon characters, a music video and a pornographic image. The hackers also got unauthorized access to Texas GOP data, including personal identifying information that was distributed and made available online.

Court records said Cottle claimed responsibility on social media and investigators found the stolen data in his possession. The FBI worked alongside the Ontario Provincial Police in Canada to execute a search warrant and gathered 20 terabytes worth of data from Cottle's home.

Cottle was charged under Canadian law for "unlawfully transferring, possessing or using a means of identification with the intent to commit, or aid or abet, or in connection with, unlawful activity under state or federal law."

He faces up to five years in prison