It wasn't just that he made unauthorized access to the network; it was so that he could download millions documents that JSTOR sells a subscription to for tens of thousands of dollars a year.
You can't ignore that. If he had trespassed into JSTOR's offices to grab the same information, it wouldn't be a $100 fine.
(Ob: I'm not saying justice would have been Aaron sitting in jail for 7 years.)
He only did this because the majority of them are publicly funded and should be available for free. The only reason they are not available to the public is JSTOR's grasp on journals and monopoly over archiving.
Maybe we should be blaming the journals for being greedy instead, but the point stands.
You can't ignore that. If he had trespassed into JSTOR's offices to grab the same information, it wouldn't be a $100 fine.
(Ob: I'm not saying justice would have been Aaron sitting in jail for 7 years.)