Two Ohio inmates were able to find the parts available to build computers that they hid in the prison's ceiling.
Adam Johnson and Scott Spriggs are incarcerated at Marion Correctional Institution (MCI), a low level security prison.
The facility used inmate labor to recycle old computers as a part of a non-profit program.
Johnson and Spriggs were able to steal and hide enough spare parts until they were able to construct two functioning computers.
A Ohio Inspector General report says the two computers were “hidden on a plywood board in the ceiling above a closet” and “connected to [Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction’s] computer network.”
The inmates were able to run Ethernet cables through the ceiling and used the stolen credentials of a retired MCI employee to get internet access.
They used them to apply for credit cards, pirate movies and music, as well as using password cracking and email spamming programs.
How'd the two get caught?
Someone finally noticed the employee bandwidth was over the allotted limit.
Those involved were moved to other facilities.