 After stating on October 17 , 2008 , that he would plead guilty to involvement in the January 2008 DDoS attacks against Church of Scientology websites , an 18 @-@ year @-@ old self @-@ described member of Anonymous entered a guilty plea related to hacking charges in May 2009 . A release from the US Justice Department said that the individual , a resident of New Jersey , " participated in the attack because he considered himself a member of an underground group called ' Anonymous ' " . Thom <unk> , a spokesman for the Justice Department , said that the Church of Scientology had cooperated in the investigation . The individual faces a sentencing scheduled for August 2009 . 
