Roommate of alleged Capital One hacker also behind bars
SEATTLE -- One of the roommates of the alleged Capital One hacker is also behind bars, accused of illegally possessing weapons.
Surveillance video shows the moment federal agents arrested Paige Thompson. She’s accused of a massive hacking scheme.
Federal agents say Thompson obtained personal information from millions of credit card applications from Capital One.
“There’s data breaches, then there’s data breaches. This is a big one,” Attorney General Bob Ferguson.
While searching Thompson’s home for evidence, agents say they discovered an arsenal of weapons, but it didn’t belong to Thompson. Instead, authorities say the collection belonged to her roommate Park Quan. Thompson lived with 4 roommates at a South Seattle home.
Quan is a three-time convicted felon who is banned from owning weapons.
The FBI says Quan admitted to owning more than a dozen firearms, including assault rifles, flare launchers, a sniper rifle and multiple bumpstocks.
Prosecutors say it’s not just the existence of all the weapons he had but they also worry about his criminal history.
In the '80s, he was accused in connection to an attempted murder-for-hire plot where prosecutors say he helped strap four sticks of dynamite to the bottom of a truck. Court records show the plot failed because the bomb malfunctioned.
This week when they arrested Quan, agents say they heard the 66-year-old quip about not getting the chance to “mix the precursors for RDX.” RDX is an explosive chemical compound.
On Thursday, one of Quan’s roommates told Q13 News that the comment was a joke. And prosecutors did clarify to a judge that the explosive chemical found was limited. His defense attorney also says Quan is a contractor and the acetone agents found was used for work purposes.
Defense attorney Kevin Peck also called Quan a good member of society who has gone 28 years without getting into trouble.
“He had no intent whatsoever to harm anyone,” Peck said.
Many members of Quan’s family showed up to court to show support. Some of the members offering up their homes as collateral, vouching that Quan would show up to upcoming court hearings.
Federal Judge Michelle Peterson says she did not believe Quan was a flight risk but she says she had concerns over public safety. She refused to release him, saying he was a potential danger after considering all the weapons and his criminal history.