KC Reporter

A Kansas City resident, Nicholas Michael Kloster, has pleaded guilty to charges of computer hacking. The 32-year-old admitted to unauthorized access and causing damage to a protected computer system belonging to a local nonprofit organization.

Kloster confessed that on May 20, 2024, he entered the premises of the nonprofit and accessed an area restricted from public entry. Utilizing a boot disk, he gained access through multiple user accounts, bypassing password protections by altering assigned passwords. This allowed him to install a virtual private network on the organization's computer system. The intrusion led to significant financial losses for the nonprofit as it worked to mitigate the effects of the breach.

Federal law stipulates that Kloster could face up to five years in federal prison without parole, fines reaching $250,000, up to three years of supervised release, and restitution orders. The final sentence will be determined by the court based on guidelines and statutory considerations following a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas Heberle and Patrick D. Daly are prosecuting this case, which was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Kansas City Police Department.