The NY Daily News reports….
A prominent lawyer for computer hackers has been busted for smashing his teenage son’s laptop to smithereens.
Tor Ekeland, 51, a Brooklyn-based attorney whose clients have included notorious computer hacker and internet troll Andrew “Weev” Auernheimer, was booked Wednesday for the Jan. 19 digital assault, when he tossed his 13-year-old’s computer to the floor and then stomped on it, prosecutors said.
The lawyer was charged with criminal mischief, endangering the welfare of a child and harassment, and released without bail being set.
The crushed laptop belonged to his ex-wife, and Ekeland had no right to destroy it, prosecutors said. The incident took place at the lawyer’s Brooklyn Heights office, they charged.
Ekeland represents hackers and accused white collar criminals across the United States in federal cases. According to his website, he regularly handles cases that “revolve around the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.”
Auernheimer was found guilty in 2013 of illegally obtaining the personal data of more than 100,000 iPad users through AT&T’s website. As part of the illegal haul, Auernheimer snagged the emails of Michael Bloomberg and Harvey Weinstein.
His conviction was later overturned by an appeals court, while Ekeland was still representing him.
Ekeland now represents Clearview AI, the company that helps police departments scrape the web to track down alleged criminals using facial recognition.
Ekeland’s lawyer, Phillip Hamilton, refuted the charges.
“Mr. Ekeland is not guilty of any of the charges that [his ex-wife] has had him falsely arrested for,” he said in a statement, adding that “Mr. Ekeland fully intends to defend himself.”
