Hedgefundman, you are making several assumptions that are far from being givens.
1. As regards possessing classified information, you may recall the case of former CIA Director John M. Deutch. Classified information was found on his home unsecured computer. That's one step "worse" than with Elgindy, who simply was passed what he was told was information from FBI files. As we've seen from media reports, some of that information was fabricated. Deutsch was heavily criticized, but he wasn't arrested.
So, IMO, possession doesn't seem to be much of an issue here. Use of the information does ("conspiracy to defraud the United States" by using the ill-gotten information for monetary gain).
2. If Elgindy did extort money from companies, that would certainly go to show misuse of information. However, Elgindy is not specifically charged with extortion. And even if the government does show Elgindy did try to extort companies he was targeting, they'd still have to show in order to make their case, IMO, that said information was not otherwise publicly available (Chris Byron goes one step further to argue you can't misuse true information that is used in a lawful way). If companies decide to sue Elgindy themselves, then this distinction would become moot.
3. From all accounts of people who knew Elgindy, he was, at least from a monetary point of view, primarily out for himself. This whole notion people like you have that there was some large well-organized attack on innocent companies is foolish. The fact you even use the word "sheeple" implies these people blindly followed Elgindy as opposed to were part of some orchestrated group-think. In other words, while Elgindy was certainly helped by numerous individuals as to what companies were suspect, most of whom did excellent work, Elgindy answered only to himself.
4. As per #4, Elgindy may face further action by others who come to believe they might now have a strong case against him, but the odds, IMO, this branches out to people who were members of his site will be slim to none. For example, if Elgindy does get convicted, he'll likely be wiped out, so what would companies gain from going after him? And if they aren't going to go after Elgindy, they certainly aren't going to go after his former site members.
5. Given that we're not even talking a national conspiracy, your assumption that this might lead into a worldwide conspiracy is, at best, wishful thinking.
- Jeff |
