The hacking investigation involving the St. Louis Cardinals has cost the club’s scouting director his job as Chris Correa was fired Wednesday.
Correa has admitted hacking into a Houston Astros database but said it was only to verify that the Astros had stolen proprietary data, according to a source with knowledge of the investigation. Correa did not leak any Astros data, and is not responsible for additional hacks that the FBI has alleged occurred or leaking any data, said the source.
Correa’s lawyer released a statement reading “Mr. Correa denies any illegal conduct. The relevant inquiry should be what information did former Cardinals employees steal from the Cardinals organization prior to joining the Astros, and who in the Astros organization authorized, consented to, or benefitted from that roguish behavior.”
Before the Cardinals game against the Padres on Wednesday night, General Manager John Mozeliak said “I can confirm (Correa) was on administrative leave and subsequently was terminated (Wednesday). At this time it’s still an ongoing investigation, and there’s really nothing more that I can add at this point.”
It was announced earlier last month that the FBI and United States Department of Justice were investigating the Cardinals organization after evidence obtained showed they hacked the Astros’ internal networks.
An official familiar with the investigation traced the breach to a house used by Cardinals employees in Jupiter, Fla., the city the team calls home during spring training.