Student convicted of hacking Palin emails

KNOXVILLE, Tennessee - A federal jury has convicted a former Tennessee college student of two charges in the hacking of Sarah Palin's email account.

The jury convicted 22-year-old David Kernell of unauthorised access to a computer and obstruction of justice. He was found not guilty of wire fraud and the jury failed to reach a verdict on identity theft.

Kernell was charged with breaking into Palin's email while she was the Republican vice presidential candidate in 2008.

Defence attorney Wade Davies said it was a prank, but prosecutors claimed he was trying to damage Palin's campaign.

The conviction for obstructing an investigation can carry a maximum 20-year prison sentence.

-AP