Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke belonged to one of the best-known groups of computer hackers as a teenager, Reuters revealed on Friday.

The former US congressman from Texas confirmed to Reuters that as a youth in El Paso, he belonged to the hacking group known as the Cult of the Dead Cow.

He also acknowledged that, during those teenage years, he stole long-distance phone service to participate in electronic discussions.

Others in the group committed the same offense and got off with warnings; the statute of limitations ran out long ago.

In the group, Mr O’Rourke wrote online essays under the pseudonym “Psychedelic Warlord” that could provide fodder for political supporters and foes alike.

One mocked a neo-Nazi, while another was a short piece of fiction from a killer’s point of view.