[paulsutter]

Since you're so blasé about plea bargaining, maybe you can help us out with this one:

Why was it necessary for Aaron to plead guilty to 13 felonies in order to get a short sentence? If it were me, I'd be more concerned by the 13 felonies than the time, and I get the impression he was too.

How does it work? Do the prosecutors get to count it as 13 kills, which buffs up their own record as badass prosecutors? Can you explain the logic that pleading guilty to _more_ felonies than would be convicted at trial should lead to a shorter sentence?

You're really just changing the subject here. The issue isn't whether or not Aaron was a superman. We're shocked and offended by the plea bargaining process (even more surprised that its commonplace, forgive our naiveté) and the draconian vagueness of the CFAA (for example, what does "unauthorized" mean?)