Kansas City Man Indicted for Hacking into Nonprofit and Health Club
A 31-year-old man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for hacking into the computer systems of a nonprofit organization and a health club business. The indictment, unsealed today, charges Nicholas Michael Kloster with one count of accessing a protected computer without authorization and one count of causing reckless damage to a protected computer.
Kloster is accused of gaining unauthorized access to the health club’s computer system in April 2024, allegedly reducing his monthly membership fee and stealing a staff nametag. He later posted an image on social media that appeared to show him controlling the gym’s security cameras.
In May 2024, Kloster allegedly accessed a computer on the network of a nonprofit organization, using a boot disk to bypass password requirements and install a virtual private network. The organization has reportedly incurred over $5,000 in losses attempting to recover from the intrusion.
The indictment also alleges that Kloster used a company credit card to make personal purchases, including a thumb drive marketed for hacking vulnerable computers, while employed at another company in early 2024.
“The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt,” the U.S. Department of Justice said in a statement.
Kloster’s arrest and initial court appearance followed the indictment. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrick Daly and Nicholas Heberle and investigated by the FBI and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.
