Who said crime doesn't pay? It really depends on who you ask.

Eighteen year-old Owen Thor Walker, aka "AKILL" appears to have been given a pretty good deal. Walker was ordered to pay $11,000 in costs and damages after admitting to being involved in an international hacking scheme at a high court hearing in Hamilton, New Zealand. He was arrested last November in an internatinonal sting operation involving New Zealand authorities, FBI, US secret service and Dutch police and was accused of hacking and stealing more than $24 million from victims all around the world.

Walker was employed by a software group to write code that allowed criminals to unlimited access peoples bank accounts. The group, according to police, had built a massive network of more than a million zombie computers – known as a "botnet" – allowing them to steal credit card information, manipulate stock trades and crash the systems of large companies.

Walker apparently never stole any of the money directly, he just provided the electronic tools and account numbers for his accomplices. He did however plead guilty accessing computers for dishonest purposes, accessing computer systems without authorization, interfering with computer systems and possessing software with the intent to commit crime. Nonetheless, Justice Judith Potter dismissed the charges and ordered him to pay damages and costs totaling $14,000 NZ. No word on compensating the millions of victims.

Detectives are hoping that Walker will now be able to offer his skills in a good way to help police track down and crack cybercrime. No deal has been struck, but I'm sure he will be helping the police with their inquiries.

Let's hope so.