Shawn Carpenter Vindicated

Two years ago I posted Real Threat Reporting. My story discussed Shawn Carpenter, formerly an analyst at Sandia National Labs who discovered Titan Rain activity at his site. After bringing news of the intrusions to the FBI, Sandia fired him.

According to these AP, ComputerWorld, and FCW stories, a New Mexico jury awarded Shawn "$35,661 for lost wages and benefits, $1,875 for counseling costs and $350,000 for emotional distress." The jury also awarded "$4.3 million in punitive damages" which makes "doing the right thing" a financially attractive proposition when your agency doesn't want you discussing national security failings with outside parties.