"The crime" is not "writing software," which is what the article makes it out to be by burying the details about Watt's knowledge on the second page. The crime is "knowingly aiding massive identity theft and fraud by writing software."
The law, for obvious reasons, defines your guilt in aiding and abetting cases based on the seriousness of the underlying crime and your knowledge of the nature of that crime. Helping some guy break into a 7/11 knowing he intends to steal beer is a lot less serious of a crime than doing the same exact action knowing he intends to kill the cashier.