UPDATE: Anonymous hacktivist Barrett Brown sentenced to 5 years behind bars

Barrett Brown was sentenced to 63 months behind bars, minus the 31 months he’s already served. He also faces nearly $900,000 in restitution and fines and two years of supervised release. After the sentence, Brown released the following statement: “Good news! “The U.S. government decided today that because I did such a good job investigating the cyber-industrial complex, they’re now going to send me to investigate the prison-industrial complex. For the next 35 months, I’ll be provided with free food, clothes, and housing as I seek to expose wrongdoing by Bureau of Prisons officials and staff and otherwise report on news and culture in the world’s greatest prison system. I want to thank the Department of Justice for having put so much time and energy into advocating on my behalf; rather than holding a grudge against me for the two years of work I put into in bringing attention to a DOJ-linked campaign to harass and discredit journalists like Glenn Greenwald, the agency instead labored tirelessly to ensure that I received this very prestigious assignment. “Wish me luck!” Here’s a link to the statement Brown gave in court. Updated at 1 p.m.: Barrett Brown took the stand during his sentencing hearing this morning, telling the judge that he regrets his actions. “I don’t think anyone doubts that I regret quite a bit about my life,” including his drug use and making threats against an FBI agent, he said. But despite his mistakes, he believes the government overstepped the law to investigate him. The defense asked for time served, arguing that the federal investigation is a threat to First Amendment protections of journalists. Both sides delivered their arguments this morning before U.S. District Judge Sam Lindsay. Original post: A federal judge is expected to sentence Anonymous hacking conspirator Barrett Brown during a hearing this morning in Dallas. Brown was arrested in 2012 and faces up to eight years in prison. He has already spent more than two years behind bars. The 33-year-old was a writer often quoted on the workings of Anonymous, the worldwide hacking collective that has staged cyber-attacks on governments and businesses. He pleaded guilty in April to accessory after the fact in the unauthorized access of a protected computer. He also admitted interfering with a search warrant and threatening the FBI agents who were investigating him. But Brown’s defense attorneys portrayed him as an investigative journalist who exaggerated his role in the underground hacking group Anonymous and took credit for activities he played no role in. They say he posted a link to stolen data that was already in the public domain. U.S. District Judge Sam Lindsay heard arguments in the case last month but delayed Brown’s sentencing until today.