| Joseph "Dr. Chaos" Konopka | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1976 De Pere, Wisconsin, U.S.A. |
| Charge(s) | Conspiracy to commit terrorism |
| Penalty | 13 years in prison |
| Status | Incarcerated |
| Occupation | Computer system administrator |
Joseph Konopka, better known by his self-given nickname Dr. Chaos, is an American citizen who is currently serving 13 years in prison for 2 felony acts of conspiracy to commit acts of terror.[1] In 2004, in Wisconsin, he was also charged with 6 felony counts of arson and vandalism, as well as trespassing, and sentenced to an additional 10 years. However, these charges were later thrown out of court on a federal appeal.[2]
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Konopka was born in 1976 in De Pere, Wisconsin. He did not finish high school, however he completed his GED.[1]
Konopka, a former computer systems administrator,[3] used the Internet to recruit a group of adolescent disciples. He called this group the The Realm of Chaos.[1] This group was ultimately responsible for 28 full power failures and 20 other service interruptions at various Wisconsin power plants.[1] They also committed arson, disrupted radio and television broadcasts, managed to disable an air traffic control system, sold pirated software, and damaged an internet service provider's computer system.[1]
Ultimately, it was established that Konopka and his group caused more than $400,000 worth of damage in 13 different Wisconsin counties.[1] Total damages caused by Konopka over his long history of vandalism and criminal damage is estimated at $2.5 million to $3 million.[4]
Konopka also associated with the Chicago chapter of 2600, a group of hackers who also publish a magazine and hold gatherings and an annual national conference every year.[5] The FBI visited the 2002 meeting of the Chicago chapter and questioned members about their knowledge of Konopka.[6]
In 2002, the 25-year-old Konopka was arrested by Chicago Police after he was caught hoarding potassium cyanide and sodium cyanide in an unused Chicago Transit Authority storeroom in the Chicago 'L' Blue Line subway.[7] Konopka had picked the original locks on several doors in the tunnels, then changed the locks so that he could access the unused rooms freely. Konopka had briefly associated with a Chicago-area urban exploration group in order to obtain information on how to access the large network of unused tunnels and abandoned rooms on Chicago's transit system as well as to lure juveniles to help him.[4] The cyanide had been stolen from a shuttered warehouse, formerly owned by a water treatment company on Chicago's South Side.[8]