A plea in the massive Heartland breach case

The fallout from the massive data breach at Heartland Payment System continues. In the latest chapter, Albert Gonzalez, the Miami man accused of helping to orchestrate the largest computer hacking crime in U.S. history, has agreed to plead guilty to charges related to the theft of more than 130 million credit and debit cards from Heartland.

Gonzalez, 28, has already pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston to the theft of tens of millions of credit card numbers and related data from TJX Cos. of Framingham, BJ's Wholesale Club and other retailers. Now, Gonzalez has agreed to plead guilty to charges dealing with the breach at Heartland, the New Jersey company that processes credit card payments for thousands of stores and businesses across the country.

The court documents do not indicate what penalty prosecutors are seeking as part of the plea bargain arrangement. On the earlier charges he faces 15 to 25 years in federal prison, plus a possible fine. And there is no indication that Gonzalez is cooperating in this massive fraud.

Gonzalez's primary attorney, Rene Palomino Jr., from Miami, had no immediate comment on the latest case. But after Gonzalez pleaded guilty to the earlier charges, Palomino said Gonzalez hoped to resolve the cases and put the crimes behind him. "He is extremely remorseful,'' Palomino said.

For more on the Heartland case:
- see this Boston.com article

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