Nova Scotia hacker convicted of fraudulent impersonation gets conditional discharge

A Nova Scotia man convicted of hacking a provincial government employee's social media account and posting an antisemitic message received a conditional discharge. Samual Shaji of Halifax will spend one year on probation.

Court documents revealed Shaji managed Nargis DeMolitor's social media accounts between January and March 2023. After his contract ended, the passwords were changed. DeMolitor, who was working for then immigration minister Jill Balser, was fired by a senior official in the Nova Scotia premier's office shortly after the offensive message appeared online.

DeMolitor stated in a victim impact statement that the antisemitic post, attributed to her, caused a devastating backlash that destroyed her career and reputation, and placed her personal safety at risk. Provincial court Judge Alonzo Wright ordered Shaji to complete 50 hours of community service within the first eight months of his probation.

Shaji must also alert the court to any address changes, avoid contact with DeMolitor, and refrain from accessing any online account belonging to someone else. The conviction stemmed from an incident in October 2023, with Shaji charged in February 2024 with fraudulently impersonating DeMolitor.

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the antisemitic post with her name on it caused a devastating backlash that destroyed her career and reputation, while placing her personal safety at risk.