said by major marco :

Mitnick's only crime was breaking into unsecured servers and humiliating the "computer security" employees of deep pocketed corporations.

said by moonpuppy :

You forgot theft (computer manuals) and possession of illegal equipment.

said by ossito16 :

I don't think dumpster diving and social engineering constitute theft. I was not aware one could illegally possess equipment purchased legally. There is a lot of communication gear for sale on ebay, I believe the gear Mitnick had was made illegal after he was kidnapped by the FBI.

If I am wrong please let me know.