Almost everyone thinks that their boyfriend, girlfriend, wife, husband, or friend lied to them about something and some point or another. The natural instinct is to try to catch them in the act, right? The truth is probably hiding somewhere on their Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, messages, or email. So, when the moment presents itself, you open their computer and check your wife’s email, read your boyfriend’s Facebook messages, or scroll through your girlfriend’s texts. You just have to know if they’re lying. While this is a typical situation that almost everyone faces, tampering with someone’s computer or the information on their computer is a severe crime in Alabama.
Computer tampering can either be a felony or a misdemeanor, depending on the circumstances. At minimum, computer tampering may cost you thousands of dollars in fines and up to a year in jail. The worst case of computer tampering could leave you in jail for decades. If you are convicted of computer tampering, Alabama will take any computer that you owned and used to commit the crime. On top of the thousands of dollars in fines that you may have to pay if you are convicted, the court may also make you pay for the cost of the trial and the state’s investigation into your crime. If you do not take a computer tampering charge seriously, you may very well end up penniless and resort to crafting a paper iPhone in your jail cell just to pass the time.
No attorney can guarantee any sort of result, but, if you want a fighting chance at beating this charge, strongly consider hiring an experienced criminal defense attorney to help you fight this battle. Sheffield & Lentine has over 50 years of combined trial experience in criminal and civil cases in both Alabama and federal courts. It’s your future at stake, so, if cell-block arts and crafts interest you, go ahead and go to court without an attorney.