Computer Hacker Turned Informant Lived in NYC Projects

Sabu, a Puerto Rican father of two wasn't your typical cyber crook

When you hear the words "computer hacker," odds are you envision a grown-ass nerdy white guy still living in his mom's house. Or maybe some shadowy figure living in a country with a name you can't pronounce? Surely, anything but a Puerto Rican cat living in the projects of Manhattan's Lower East Side who races cars and listens to T.I., right?

Well, meet Hector Monsegur aka "Sabu," leader of LulzSec, an off-shoot of the infamous hacker group Anonymous - you know, the guys who hacked the CIA, FBI, RIAA and other large entities. Monsegur's identity was revealed after he snitched on the rest of his team, returning the favor of a third party ratting him out to the FBI. 

According to the Feds, the unemployed 28-year-old began working with them to catch other hackers after they threatened to throw him in prison, separating him from his children. 

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"He didn't go easy," a law enforcement official involved in nabbing Sabu tells FoxNews.com. "It was because of his kids. He didn't want to go away to prison and leave them. That's how we got him."

Since last August, Monsegur worked out of the FBI offices helping them take down other big time hackers. He did all of this while living in the Jacob Riis Houses in New York City. 

Monsegur also seems to have confused his informant status with being something bigger. In February, he was approached by NYPD officers in his neighborhood (he and his family have a history of selling heroin). He told the officers to "relax" and that he was an FBI agent.

Well, he couldn't produce the proper identification and when the cops contacted the FBI to see if he was telling the truth, they told that: Monsegur was far from an agent, just a snitch. He was later arrested and charged with one count of second degree criminal impersonation, a misdemeanor.

Monsegur's current whereabouts are unknown. 

As far as his federal case is concerned, if the FBI decides to ever officially charge him, he could face up to 124 years in prison. By the way, Sabu was tweeting some very unkind things about the FBI on Monday. That's sure to make them think harder about what exactly to do with him.