A former Fannie Mae computer programmer accused of planting malware in a scheme to destroy the mortgage company's computer data was convicted by a federal grand jury of computer intrusion.
Rajendrasinh Babubhai Makwana, 36, of Montgomery County, Md., was convicted Monday, federal officials announced. He faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
Makwana worked as a contract UNIX engineer at Fannie Mae's office in Urbana, Md., from 2006 until he was fired on Oct. 24, 2008. Five days later, a Fannie Mae senior engineer discovered a malicious script embedded in a routine computer program, prosecutors said.
An investigation of computer logs, Makwana's laptop and other evidence showed that Makwana had transmitted the malware the day he was fired. Prosecutors said the malware was designed to activate on Jan. 31, spread throughout the company's network and destroy all data.
Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 8.
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Michael S. Mimoso, Editorial Director