True for the civil end, but the criminal consequences can be waved away with an immunity deal.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2391568/posts
Who leaked the Hadley CRU files and why
examiner.com ^ | November 21, 2009 | Terry Hurlbut
EXCERPT
Mr. Stephen McIntyre at Climate Audit has made no secret of his repeated attempts to demand, under Britain’s Freedom of Information Act, that Phil Jones and his team yield up the data that are the basis of their claims for anthropogenic global warming (AGW) and its effects. Preliminary analysis of the archived e-mails also indicates that Jones knew of McIntyre’s efforts and was taking steps to stall and thwart them, in violation of the law. Perhaps, then, someone at CRU decided to take the law into his own hands.