Gilbert man loses job in case tied to alien-search software

The search for intelligent life apparently has stopped for Brad Niesluchowski.

Higley Unified School District records obtained by The Arizona Republic show that Niesluchowski, of Gilbert, resigned in October after an investigation into suspicious activity, including the use of a program that searches satellite signals for extraterrestrial life.

According to the documents, district officials said they found Niesluchowski had abused his authority in purchasing and oversight of district technology and equipment, and downloaded to every district computer a University of California-Berkeley program that relies on volunteers and their personal computers to search satellite-collected data for signs of intelligent life in outer space.

Higley officials so far estimate the damages, energy usage and equipment losses linked to Niesluchowski at $1.2 million to $1.6 million.

:story: Full story: azcentral.com