Born in
Altona, Illinois, in 1959, Headley said she dropped out of school in the eighth grade after a difficult childhood. She later moved to
Los Angeles, California, where she was a
rock and roll band
groupie and worked as a
sex worker who claimed to be one of only three women to have slept with all four members of
the Beatles in a "systematic conquest." For a while in the late 1970s and early 1980s, she collaborated with computer hacker
Kevin Mitnick (also known as Condor) and phone phreaker Lewis de Payne (also known as Roscoe) on hacking into
Pacific Bell systems and other systems, although there were conflicts between the group members. In 1981–1982, she testified against Mitnick and de Payne in a theft case related to Pacific Bell, and provided evidence against de Payne in a case related to hacking U.S Leasing, in exchange for
immunity. In 1982, Headley gave an interview on the television show
20/20 about circumventing security systems, including the technique of "
garbology":
dumpster diving to find system
documentation and other useful information thrown away by telephone company staff. On October 25, 1983, Headley testified in front of the
U.S. Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs about the technical capabilities and motivations of hackers and phone phreaks. On
20/20 and in her Senate testimony, she explained that motivations for the hackers she knew included curiosity, challenge, and intense competition with each other, rather than profit. In the 1980s, she worked as a security consultant and a professional poker player. Later, she was noted as one of only a few women among early phone phreaks and one of the earliest known female hackers. As of 2024, a film based on the profile was in development.
Public service Headley was elected to public office in California in 1994, as
City Clerk of
California City. == References ==