Plainfield man charged with computer hack of pest control company

A Plainfield man who was fired from the Mosquito Squad has been charged with hacking the company’s computer system last year, according to the Will County Sheriff’s Office.

On Tuesday, Patrick Towey, 19, was charged with felony computer fraud in connection with the Sept. 28 incident.

Will County prosecutors alleged in a criminal complaint that Towey accessed client records in a computer owned by Mosquito Squad, 12305 S. New Ave. in Lemont, so he could alter or delete those records.

Sheriff’s spokeswoman Kathy Hoffmeyer said deputies were contacted in September about the incident and spoke to a manager for the company.

The manager claimed someone had accessed the company’s computer system from a remote location and deleted client files from the server, Hoffmeyer said.

Hoffmeyer said a technology specialist from the business also was interviewed and provided an IP address, a numeric designation that identifies its location on the internet, that may have been involved in the incident.

Sheriff’s detectives conducted an investigation that led them to a residence in Plainfield, Hoffmeyer said.

Detectives interviewed Towey in March and learned he had been fired from Mosquito Squad in May 2021, Hoffmeyer said. Towey denied hacking into 50 customer accounts, she said.

Towey also told detectives he had been upset that he was fired from the company, she said.

“He refused to cooperate as far as giving additional information if other people were involved,” Hoffmeyer said.

As of now, Towey is the only person charged in connection with the incident, she said.