Clinton e-mail hacker ‘Guccifer’ expected to plead guilty

A Romanian hacker who claimed to have broken into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s personal e-mail server is expected to plead guilty to US criminal charges in a federal court. Court records show that Marcel Lehel Lazar, who goes by the alias “Guccifer,” will change his plea during a hearing in Alexandria (VA) on May 25. However, it is unclear which charges the 42-year-old will plead guilty to, or whether the move is part of a deal to cooperate with federal officials on other cases.

The hacker has been indicted on nine felony counts related to his hacking into accounts of senior US officials, including former President George W. Bush and ex-Secretary of State Colin Powell. Lazar’s hacking into Bush’s e-mail account exposed self-portraits and other paintings that the former president had after leaving office. His access to longtime Clinton ally Sidney Blumenthal’s e-mail account first exposed Clinton’s use of a private e-mail account during her time in office. The revelation opened the door to what has been a protracted controversy over the likely Democratic presidential nominee’s personal setup, which has dogged her presidential campaign. In May, Lazar claimed to have also broken into Clinton's “completely unsecured” server, which he compared to “an open orchid on the Internet.” Clinton’s campaign has dismissed the claim, and the State Department has said it has no reason to believe the hacker.