Source: United States Department of Justice News
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Michael P. Fish, age 27, of Albany, was sentenced today to 18 months in prison for obstruction of justice.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Janeen DiGuiseppi, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
As part of his June 27, 2022 guilty plea, Fish admitted that he submitted seven fraudulent character letters to United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino in December 2019, in an effort to deceive the Court and obtain leniency during his sentencing in a now-concluded criminal case in which Fish was convicted of computer hacking, identity theft and child pornography crimes. Fish admitted that he doctored four letters, including one from a priest, and fabricated another three letters, including ones purportedly from his mother and grandparents.
In his underlying criminal case, Fish was sentenced to 111 months in prison, to be followed by 15 years of supervised release, for computer fraud and aggravated identity theft in connection with his hacking of online social media accounts and theft of nude images of dozens of female victims, as well as possession of child pornography. Fish’s term of imprisonment for obstruction of justice will begin immediately after his prison sentence in the underlying case concludes.
This case was investigated by the FBI and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua R. Rosenthal.