Hackers' posting forces Tweeter to shut down website
Hackers apparently broke into Tweeter's website yesterday morning and posted a picture of President Bush on the home page with a message about the bankrupt chain's owner and chief restructuring officer. "Don't trust either of them!!!"
The website was taken down shortly after and did not function for most of the day. The incident comes hours after the electronics chain abruptly shut its 60 stores and fired 600 people nationwide just days before a going-out-of business sale was supposed to end. Workers are owed salary, vacation time, and bonuses.
Yesterday, the liquidators, who also have not been paid, fought in court to prevent Tweeter's owners - Schultze Asset Management - from permanently closing the stores, which still have $14 million worth of merchandise in them. The liquidators, including local firms Hudson Capital Partners and Tiger Capital Group, said in a court filing that Schultze's refusal to pay their costs totaling about $1.76 million "is tantamount to fraud."
Hudson declined to comment. Tiger couldn't immediately be reached.
Schultze shut down Tweeter and filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection on Tuesday after paying millions of dollars to Well Fargo, the largest secured creditor. Schultze, a New York investment firm that had also loaned money to Tweeter, was the second-biggest creditor and decided against putting additional money into the company to wind down operations. Tweeter had planned to close its shops on Sunday.
On Tweeter's website yesterday morning, hackers left a message about George Schultze, owner of Schultze, calling him the "George Bush of Tweeter!: He made promise after promise for over a year. In the end, the promises turned to one big finger."
Tim O'Brien, who works for Schultze and was one of Tweeter's last board members, declined to comment.
The website also criticized Craig Boucher, who served as Tweeter's chief restructuring officer: "Every time he made a public move, he addressed the Tweeter employees - 'there's still hope; keep coming to work; we'll actually pay you . . .' "
Boucher did not return calls yesterday, but on Tuesday, said: "Things will take care of themselves in due time." 