Just read this article. Not sure what to think of it. On the one hand, if you engage yourself in those activities and get caught, this is what you face. On the other hand, the differences in sentences with and without cooperation are very big. The crucial thing in this is the role of the US authorities. If they have indeed pressured the hacker to confess and cooperate, then that’s a violation of the rules of law. I have to look a bit deeper into this, just haven’t made my mind up yet.