Some people really know how to hack – others don’t but say they do. In either case, it’s important to know your limits so you don’t get ahead of yourself.

One wannabe hacker didn’t follow this advice. Now he’s facing decades of jail time for an ill-conceived extortion scheme.

On Monday, a federal jury sitting in Nashville found Michael Mancil Brown, 37, of Franklin, Tennessee guilty of a tax fraud scheme involving former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney.