Ex-rhodes student pleads guilty to hacking, changing his grades

A former Rhodes College student pleaded guilty Tuesday to hacking into the college’s computer system to change his grades and keep his scholarship.

Michael Geddati, 20, was a freshman pre-med major when between December 2017 and May 2018, he accessed various systems without authorization to raise his grades.

Geddati’s actions were detected after a faculty member noticed that the grade in the computer system was higher than the one Geddati had earned.

The investigation showed that on dozens of occasions, Geddati logged in as an instructor. He frequently changed his grades and was able to download an exam ahead of when it was given.

Geddati was described by one instructor, said federal prosecutor Debra Ireland, while reading the proof against him, as a D student.

Investigators traced the IP address to Geddati’s family’s account. The college convened an honor council hearing and Geddati was expelled.

Once it was determined that a federal crime may have been committed, the FBI was contacted.

As part of his plea, Geddati will pay more than $72,000 in restitution, including the repayment of his $30,000 scholarship to Rhodes. He also waived his right to appeal.

Geddati was represented by Mark Mcdaniel and Kenneth Brashier.

He could be sentenced to up to five years in federal prison and fined up to $250,000, although Ireland said probation would not be opposed.

Milton Moreland, Rhodes vice president of academic affairs, released this statement:

This morning a former Rhodes College student pleaded guilty to a federal computer crime. According to information filed in federal court, the former student illegally gained access to academic systems and changed grades for their own benefit.

With the assistance of all the faculty who were affected, the College discovered the intrusion at the end of last year’s spring semester. We conducted an internal investigation, and the FBI was alerted once we determined a federal crime had likely been committed. Today’s action is a result of the FBI’S investigation.

Our internal investigation found no additional student or employee records were compromised. Over the last several months, our Information Services team has taken several steps to strengthen our security protocols, such as requiring campus-wide password resets, implementing the Onelogin Protect authentication system, and employing external sender tags for emails originating off campus.

This incident illustrates the importance of the Rhodes Honor Code. Each of our students pledges they will not lie, cheat, or steal, and they will report those who do. We take any breach of our information systems very seriously.

Geddati was released from federal custody on his own recognizance Tuesday, was required to surrender his passport and must get court permission before leaving the county.

U.S. District Judge Thomas Parker also told Geddati that because he uses computers at his job, he is required to tell his employer about the case.

“They need to know what you’ve done and what you’re capable of doing,” Parker said.

Sentencing is scheduled for May 24.