Tucker had already pleaded guilty to the charge in April 2017 after making the mistake of bragging about it on social networks. He's expected to pay just under $69,332 in restitution to his victims on top of the prison term.

This isn't a particularly steep penalty given that the crime could have put lives at risk. Even so, the very existence of the sentence is notable. Cyberattacks against emergency systems are becoming all too common, and successful convictions like this might discourage others attempting to show off their DDoS skills.