Albert Gonzalez, the hacker who led a multinational group of friends and associates through some of the biggest retail hacks of card data in history, received a sentence of 20 years and a day for his part in the multiple thefts.

Resulting from what the government claimed became a tour de force in computer thieving, prosecutors brought cases against Gonzalez, 28, and others in three different venues to reflect the number and diversity of the retail companies hit. In addition to Heartland Payment Systems, the biggest hit, other companies which lost data included 7-Eleven, Hannaford Brothers Supermarkets, TJX, DSW, Barnes and Noble, Office Max and the Dave & Buster's restaurant chain.

All told, prosecutors estimate Gonzalez and the other hackers wound up costing card issues, both banks and credit unions, hundreds of millions of dollars. Heartland alone estimated its losses from the breach at $130 million, and the company has agreed to settlement deals with some Visa and MasterCard issuers, along with American Express.