Former Television News Anchor Charged with Computer Crime

PHILADELPHIA - Acting United States Attorney Laurie Magid today announced the filing of an Information (1) against Lawrence Mendte, a former employee of KYW-TV, charging him with a felony count of intentionally accessing a protected computer without authorization and thereby obtaining information. Joining Magid in today’s announcement was FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Janice Fedarcyk.

“People expect that e-mail in a password protected, personal e-mail account is private,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Laurie Magid. “If you think of it in the context of another era, it’s no different that someone stealing your locked briefcase, containing confidential information from your lawyer, prying it open, and helping themselves to the contents. The mere accessing and reading of privileged information is criminal. This case, however, went well beyond just reading someone’s e-mail. The defendant here engaged in a systematic pattern of intrusion that included not a dozen incidents, not a hundred incidents, but more than five hundred separate intrusions.”

"Our e-mail is private, just like our telephone conversations and our mail. Our expectation of privacy for e-mail is even higher, due to the high level of security used in transmitting e-mail messages. That’s why we have passwords, to stop and prevent others from reading our most private communications and using them against us."

According to the information, Mendte illegally gained access to the personal e-mail accounts of former colleague Alycia Lane for more than two years. Between January 1, 2008 and May 26, 2008, he logged into Lane’s personal accounts approximately 537 times, from his home computer, from a computer at his vacation home, and from a computer at his place of work. In doing so, the information alleges, Mendte accessed private communications between the victim and others, including attorney-client privileged information, relating to both civil and criminal litigation in which Lane was involved. Mendte then allegedly repeatedly shared information regarding the contents of the private e-mail communications with a newspaper reporter.

(1) An Indictment or Information is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

INFORMATION REGARDING THE DEFENDANT(S):

NAME: Lawrence Mendte
ADDRESS: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
AGE OR DATE OF BIRTH: 51 years old

If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of 5 years in prison.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Cyber Squad and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael L. Levy.

 

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