Oshawa, Ont. man pleads guilty to stealing Texas Republican Party data
Posted on: Jun 19, 2026 18:24 IST | Posted by: Cbc
Lawyers for an Ontario adult male accused of stealing and leaking Texan republican river company information in 2021 say he has pleaded shamefaced before a Canadian court.
In a statement released Thursday afternoon, Arash Ghiassi and Riaz Sayani say Aubrey Cottle has "formally accepted his role" in the hacking of the party’s website five years ago.
Ghiassi said in an email that Cottle pleaded guilty in a Newmarket, Ont., courthouse to the unauthorized use of a computer, mischief to computer data, and failure to comply with a release order.
U.S. Authorities announced the arrest of a man from Oshawa, Ont., in April of last year and said the suspect was facing charges under Canadian law.
At the time, the U.S. Department of Justice alleged Cottle had gained unauthorized access to "deface and download a backup of Texas Republican Party’s server" and made the data, which included personal information, available online for downloading.
The department further alleged Cottle claimed responsibility for the cyberattack on social media and a search of his electronic devices showed he was in possession of the stolen data.
Oshawa, Ont., man charged after allegedly stealing, leaking Texas Republican Party data
Cottle's legal team says their client has also been charged by the U.S. Federal prosecutors over the same incident.
"As mater of fairness, that charge should now be withdrawn. No one should be prosecuted or punished twice for the same conduct," they said.
"In the event of an extradition request, Canada should do the right thing and refuse to extradite Mr. Cottle," they said, calling on Ottawa to "protect the integrity" of Canada’s legal system.
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