Man jailed 18 months over underscore in username acquitted

Brandon Klayme from Halifax, Canada, spent 18 months in jail for child luring and child pornography based on a mistaken username.

Klayme's username was “fus_ro_dah” (one underscore), while the actual offender used “fus__ro_dah” (two underscores).

Wisconsin police traced the wrong username to Klayme, leading to his 2020 arrest and 2023 conviction.

The error was discovered during appeal by defense lawyer Zeb Brown when reviewing digital forensic evidence.

The appeal panel found Klayme factually innocent, stating he should never have been charged or convicted.