A former IT contractor has admitted to breaking into his old employer’s network and locking out thousands of workers after he was fired. The employer, Waste Management in Houston, said the incident cost over $862,000.
The angry employer is Maxwell Schultz, 35, from Ohio, has pleaded guilty to computer fraud. He was fired in May 2021. Soon after, he got back into the network by pretending to be another contractor and using that person’s login credentials.
Once inside, Schultz ran a PowerShell script that reset about 2,500 passwords. This locked thousands of employees and contractors out of their computers across the country. The attack forced teams offline and disrupted customer service. It also required a large amount of work to restore the systems.
Investigators said Schultz searched for ways to hide his actions. He looked up methods to delete logs and cleared several system records. During his plea, he admitted he did this because he was angry about losing his job.
The FBI’s Houston office led the investigation. Prosecutors said the attack caused more than $862,000 in losses, including downtime and labor needed to repair the damage.
Schultz’s sentence could be up to 10 years in federal prison, along with a fine that could hit $250,000. The court will decide his punishment on Jan. 30, 2026
