County pays $600,000 to pentesters it arrested for assessing courthouse security

Two security professionals who were arrested in 2019 after conducting an authorised security assessment of the Dallas County Courthouse in Adel, Iowa, will receive $600,000 to settle a lawsuit alleging wrongful arrest and defamation, according to Dan Goodin. The pair, Gary DeMercurio and Justin Wynn, were employed at Coalfire Labs and had written authorisation from the Iowa Judicial Branch to perform “red-team” exercises, including physical attacks such as lockpicking, as part of a sanctioned drill.

They were arrested after gaining entry to the courthouse and later released on bail; the charges were initially felony third-degree burglary and were later reduced to misdemeanour trespassing, with Sheriff Chad Leonard publicly insisting they had acted illegally. Last Thursday, five days before a trial was due to begin, Dallas County officials agreed to settle the case by paying $600,000. DeMercurio has since started his own firm, Kaiju Security, and said the settlement confirms that their work was authorised and in the public interest.