Nicholas Moore, a 24-year-old who used the Instagram handle “ihackedthegovernment,” has pleaded guilty to hacking into several United States government systems. What makes this case unusual is that Moore didn’t just break into these platforms; he documented everything on social media for the public to see.
According to Dexerto, court documents show that Moore illegally accessed systems connected to the Department of Veterans Affairs, AmeriCorps, and the US Supreme Court. He broke into the Supreme Court’s electronic filing system at least 25 times over a two-month period in 2023, sometimes logging in multiple times in a single day. He got in by using stolen usernames and passwords.
Moore also shared screenshots and sensitive personal information pulled from these systems on social media, including specific details taken from a veteran’s health records. His decision to broadcast his crimes under the handle “ihackedthegovernment” is what ultimately led to his legal trouble.
Moore’s light sentence shows the court saw him as a young man showing off, not a serious criminal
Moore faced a misdemeanor charge for computer fraud, which carried a potential sentence of up to one year in prison and a $100,000 fine. However, after apologizing to the judge, he walked away with only one year of probation. During sentencing on April 21, 2026, he told the court, “I made a mistake” and added, “I am truly sorry. I respect laws, and I want to be a good citizen.”
The prosecution did not push for jail time, noting that Moore did not appear to be motivated by money or malicious intent. As they described it, “He viewed various pages on the platforms that he accessed, and then boasted about it online,” and “Moore seems to have acted more to show off to online acquaintances than to leverage the accounts he accessed for financial gain.”
Nicholas Moore, who admitted to hacking the U.S. Supreme Court's electronic document filing system dozens of times over several months, was sentenced on Friday to a year of probation.
— Dark Web Informer (@DarkWebInformer) April 17, 2026https://t.co/DtJQhsMteu
It is worth noting that the Supreme Court has recently been at the center of several high-profile rulings, making its security a matter of significant public concern. A sentencing recommendation also noted that Moore is a vulnerable young man who struggles with long-term disabilities and has limited financial resources and employment history.
The court determined that he does not pose a danger to the community. US District Judge Beryl Howell even joked during the proceedings that Moore has high potential to do good, given how easily he managed to bypass government security.
While Moore avoided prison, this case highlights how weak credential security can be, even within the highest levels of government. The Supreme Court, which has also been making headlines over its decisions backing major federal policy shifts, now faces added scrutiny over how its digital systems are protected. It also reflects a growing pattern of people publicly broadcasting illegal activity on social media for attention.
Earlier in April, a hacker used artificial intelligence tools to breach nine Mexican government agencies and stole a large amount of citizen records. Around the same time, hackers accessed private files from Rockstar Games, raising concerns about potential leaks for future projects. These incidents, taken together, point to how much work remains to be done in the area of digital security.
