Former Cardinals scouting director pleads guilty to hacking Astros

By Shawn Ramsey
Published

Former St. Louis Cardinals scouting director Chris Correa pleaded guilty in federal court Friday to charges related to the breaching of the Houston Astros' computer network in 2014.

Of the 12 charges brought against Correa, he pleaded guilty to five counts of unauthorized access to computer information. Each count carries a maximum possible sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The value of the Astros' information to which Correa gained unauthorized access has been set at $1.7 million as information on about 200 players was in the database at the time of the breach.

Correa had been with the Cardinals organization since 2009, working under then-St. Louis scouting director -- and current Astros GM -- Jeff Luhnow. 

Following Luhnow's departure to Houston, Correa rose through the ranks, eventually being named scouting director in 2014. He was fired by the Cardinals in July 2015 after admitting to hacking the Astros, claiming he did so only to verify if the Astros had stolen proprietary data.

Under oath, appearing in front of U.S. District Judge Lynn Hughes, Correa did state he found Cardinals' information on the Astros' database, according to Houston Chronicle's David Barron, who attended the hearing.

After Friday's hearing, the Astros General Counsel Giles Kibbe released a statement refuting Correa's claim Houston had Cardinals' information on its database:

Correa elected to not have his case presented before a grand jury and with the guilty plea, he gives up his right to appeal. The sentencing hearing is set for April 11.