Neal Patrick was 17-years-old and a student at Rufus King High School in Milwaukee when he emerged as a spokesperson and "instant celebrity" hacker of the 414s. Newsweek published a photo of him on their September 5, 1983 cover. Patrick claimed the 414s' motivation was simply to bypass DEC VMS systems with weak access controls and sit undetected, often using default passwords and well-known vulnerabilities that were un-patched.

The 414s were detected and caught by Chen Chui, an accountant and system administrator. Chui, with the assistance of the FBI, tracked unauthorized calls back to Patrick's home town. Most 414s were not prosecuted after being caught and instead made agreements to pay restitution and cease their hacking. Two of the group pleaded guilty to harassing telephone calls.