In a bizarre case of retribution over a reduction in force, a former sysadmin from New Jersey has ended up setting the record for the longest prison sentence for computer sabotage.

The case was brought against Yung-Hsun Lin after it was discovered that he created a "logic bomb" intended to wipe out the servers he maintained at Merck & Co. subsidary Medco Health Solutions. Lin confessed to setting up the sabotage in October 2003 — which failed to trigger and was eventually discovered by another administrator in 2005 — claiming that he feared he would lose his job after the company was sold. Had the code executed as planned, it would have wiped out servers used to maintain clinical analysis, billing, and managed care processing.

According to Newark's U. S. Attorney's Office, Lin's thirty-month prison sentence is the longest ever handed down for the crime. His penalty also includes over $80,000 in restitution.

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