In addition to obstruction of justice, prosecutors accused Sullivan of not sharing knowledge of a crime. In total, he faces up to eight years in prison if convicted of both charges.
“We expect good corporate citizenship,” said U.S. Attorney David L. Anderson. “We expect rapid reporting on criminal behavior. We expect cooperation with our investigations. We will not tolerate amounts of business. We will not tolerate illegal payments for hush money.”
Bradford Williams, Sullivan’s attorney, said The New York Times There is “no merit” for the latter. “If not for the efforts of Mr Sullivan and his team, it is likely that the individuals responsible for this incident would never have been identified,” he said. Williams added that Sullivan and his team work closely with other Uber employees and follow the company’s policies.
Meanwhile, a Uber spokesman said The New York Times it continues to collaborate with the Justice Department’s investigation into the 2016 hack. “Our decision in 2017 to disclose the incident was not only the right thing to do, it illustrates the principles by which we run our business today: transparency, integrity and accountability,” they said.
Sullivan may become the second former Uber employee to fall behind bars. In early August, Anthony Levandowski, the engineer at the center of the trade legal battle between Waymo and Uber, was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
