Charges filed in cyber attack on East Bay water treatment plant

DISCOVERY BAY – A 53-year-old Tracy man is facing federal criminal charges in connection with an alleged attack on the computer systems of a Discovery Bay water treatment plant more than two years ago, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Rambler Gallo was a full-time employee of a private Massachusetts-based company that contracted with Discovery Bay to operate the town’s water treatment plant, prosecutors said, citing an indictment that was filed June 27 and unsealed Thursday.

The plant provides treatment for the town’s water and wastewater systems for 15,000 residents.

As the company’s “instrumentation and control tech” from July 2016 to December 2020, Gallo was responsible for maintaining the instrumentation and computer systems used to manage electromechanical processes at the plant, according to prosecutors.

During that period, Gallo allegedly installed software on his personal computer and the company’s private network that allowed him to gain remote access to the plant’s network, prosecutors said.

Gallo resigned from the company in January 2021. Later that month, he allegedly accessed the plant’s computer system remotely and uninstalled software that was the main hub of the plant’s network and that protected the entire water treatment system, including water pressure, filtration and chemical levels, according to prosecutors.

Gallo is charged with one count of transmitting a program, information, code and command to cause damage to a protected computer, prosecutors said. If convicted, he faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

Gallo made his initial federal court appearance Thursday. His next appearance is scheduled for July 20.