Man pleads in federal malware case of Xenia-based company

A man has admitted to a federal charge of intentionally accessing a protected computer of a Xenia-based mortgage company, according to a release from the U.S. Department of Justice.

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Christopher Paul Murphy, 68, of Golden Valley, Ariz., faces up to five years in prison after pleading guilty to the charge before Judge Walter Rice of the U.S. District Court Southern District of Ohio, according to the release.

Officials said in October, Murphy tried to use a malware email in an effort to gain access to the protected database of the National BiWeekly Mortgage Administration, Inc.

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“He also provided a thumb drive to an NBA employee and directed that, in the event the malware failed, the employee should download the company’s client lists onto the thumb drive,” according to the release.

Officials said Murphy planned to use NBA’s list of clients to solicit them for his own similar business.

Benjamin C. Glassman, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, commended the FBI for their investigation and assistant U.S. Attorney Brent G. Tabacchi for the successful prosecution.

Murphy is being held in the Montgomery County Jail. He was arrested in Xenia by federal authorities on Oct. 2, according to jail records.

The Dayton Daily News is working to gather more information about the case.

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