This can be compared with the 13 felony counts Aaron Swartz faced for downloading scientific papers paid for by US taxpayers, with the intent to distribute them for free. No lives put in jeopardy, neither in aircraft nor from a fire on the ground, no physical damage to anything, no lives seriously inconvenienced by flight disruptions and no personal gain. Sure, Lady Justice is blind.
He should be charged with a separate count for every missed or cancelled flight.
Leaving aside the odious comparison to Mr. Schwartz, Mr. Howard caused severe economic damage, in the millions of dollars, in addition to the inconvenience he caused thousands of people. But I guess that’s alright because coloradan wasn’t inconvenienced, and it as all other people’s money.