Jury convicts woman of misdemeanors for MySpace hoax

by Greg Risling, The Associated Press

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By Gene Hartley

LOS ANGELES -- A jury convicted a mother from suburban St. Louis of minor crimes in the MySpace cyber-bullying case linked to a 13-year-old girl's suicide. The federal court jury on Wednesday rejected felony charges of accessing a computer without authorization to inflict emotional distress on young Megan Meier.

The jury found defendant Lori Drew guilty of three misdemeanors of accessing a computer without authorization. Each count is punishable by up to one year in jail and up to a $100,000 fine. The jurors could not reach a verdict on a conspiracy count.

To read a report on Drew's indictment last May, click here.

Prosecutors said Drew violated the MySpace terms of service by conspiring with her young daughter and a business assistant to create a fictitious profile of a teen boy on the MySpace social networking site to harass Megan. Megan, who had been treated for depression, hanged herself in 2006 after receiving a message saying the world would be better without her.

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