Mitnick faces 25 counts 
                By Jeff Pelline
                September 26, 1996, 6 p.m. PT 

                Notorious hacker Kevin Mitnick was indicted
                today on 25 counts for an alleged hacking spree
                between June 1992 and February 1995. 

                Mitnick is accused of attacking computer systems
                belonging to software makers, ISPs, and
                educational institutions, including Netcom,
                Colorado Supernet, Motorola, Nokia, Fujitsu,
                Novell, NEC, Sun Microsystems, and the
                University of Southern California, according to the
                complaint. 

                Under the statute, Mitnick theoretically would face
                more than 100 years in prison if convicted. But
                calculating the jail term with any certainty is
                difficult, Assistant U.S. Attorney David Schindler
                said. "It's many, many years" was all he would say.

                The indictment alleges that the 33-year-old
                Mitnick, who was known online as "Condor," and
                Lewis Depayne, 36, formerly of Los Angeles,
                carried out the scheme by impersonating company
                employees and using so-called hacking techniques
                to obtain access to company computers. Once
                inside the computers, the indictment charges,
                Mitnick copied and "stole millions of dollars worth
                of proprietary software." 

                Mitnick has become a legend in the computer
                world and beyond, having been the subject of
                many books and news reports. His escapades
                began as a teenager, when he allegedly tapped into
                a computer system in his high school, and grew
                into an obsession that dominated his life, according
                to biographical accounts.