Fmr. DNR Employee Sentenced In Data Breach

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A former Department of Natural Resources official convicted of illegally accessing drivers' license data on thousands of Minnesotans has been sentenced.

On Monday, 49-year-old John A. Hunt of Woodbury was sentenced to two years' probation and must also pay a $1,000 fine.

Hunt previously pleaded guilty to two gross misdemeanor charges and one misdemeanor charge related to viewing Minnesota

Investigators say 90 percent of the people whose privacy was violated were women, including politicians, judges, prosecutors, law enforcement officers, reporters and DNR employees. Hunt was the DNR Enforcement Division's administrative manager and had legal access to the records for official business only.

The charges also allege Hunt kept an encrypted file on a work computer with license photos of over 170 women.

At his sentencing, Hunt was also granted a stay of adjudication, which means his convictions will be dismissed if he abides by the terms of his probation.