Alleged Hacker-for-Hire Faces First US Court Appearance for Targeting Climate Advocates As Big Oil’s Push for Legal Immunity Heats Up

CAMBRIDGE, Ma. (April 16, 2026)-Accused hacker Amit Forlit faces his first appearance in U.S. federal court today for allegedly orchestrating a hacking operation targeting over 100 individuals working to hold fossil fuel companies accountable, including staff at the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). Ahead of the pretrial conference scheduled for 3 p.m. EDT, Kathy Mulvey, the accountability campaign director at UCS, released the following statement:

"This case is a key opportunity to uncover further evidence of who was behind this illegal intimidation operation-and bring those actors to justice. It comes as the fossil fuel industry lobbies Congress and state legislatures to shield it from liability for past and future climate damages and appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court to block climate accountability lawsuits brought by states and local governments. Today's hearing is one step toward justice for those targeted by this criminal conspiracy."

Forlit, an Israeli private investigator, was indicted by a federal grand jury in November 2022 on charges of conspiracy to commit computer hacking, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and wire fraud. He was extradited to the United States earlier this year from the United Kingdom. Court documents and related reporting suggest the U.S. government possesses evidence that this criminal scheme was indirectly paid for by ExxonMobil. ExxonMobil has publicly denied involvement in the hacking operation-but the U.S. government's extradition filing suggests it is in possession of evidence to the contrary.

Mulvey co-authored the UCS report Decades of Deceit, which detailed the multi-decade disinformation and intimidation campaign conducted by fossil fuel companies to thwart efforts to combat the climate crisis. Forlit's hearing comes as the fossil fuel industry ratchets up lobbying for federal and state liability waivers that would preempt efforts to hold these corporations legally and financially accountable for the climate damages their products have caused.

Additional UCS Resources:

• Blog post on how Big Oil is following the gun industry's playbook, seeking blanket immunity from legal liability
• Op-ed by Mulvey in The Hill on the consequences of Congress granting Big Oil a liability waiver