Jon Cowden

Jon Cowden, whom we dubbed “The Forgotten Anon,” was released Monday from his recent incarceration, which followed his arrest for parole violations, charges Cowden disputed. Cowden previously served 13 months for participation in Anonymous’ OpPalestine, OpGaza, and OpIsrael.

Once back in custody, the San Diego resident was moved from sunny SoCal to St. Louis via the infamous Con Air, an experience which he told us (via an intermediary) that he was dreading. Nonetheless, nothing went wrong other than…ending up in St. Louis. After some judicial back-and-forthing he has now been released to a halfway house in the city, and ordered to remain in St. Louis for the next 12 months.

He is now actively looking for work in his new locale, while back in San Diego his girlfriend and parents coordinate to move his things and his PTSD support dog Chazz the 1,800 intervening miles. He will be within a days’ drive of his parents, but effectively cut off from his girlfriend IRL, who has asked us not to personally identify her. They remain in contact by telephone, but Cowden’s release terms effectively bar him from online activities for the next year.

UPDATE his girlfriend tells us “I think he’s allowed internet access, it just has to be on a system with the government’s tracking software on it. (Which, by the way, costs a monthly fee, which he’d have to pay if he had any money).”

Which he does not, the online fundraiser having raised only $255 to pay the impound fees on his car and vet bills for Chazz, totaling $1,800.

Categories: Anonymous, Court Cases, Crime, FBI, Hackers, Jon Cowden, News