HP Settles Spying Case for $14.5m While Dunn Awaits Trial
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Hewlett-Packard Co dodged a prolonged PR nightmare by announcing yesterday it would pay just $14.5m to settle a civil case with California over allegations of unlawful spying on reporters and its directors during an internal probe of boardroom leaks to the media.
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Prosecutors in California filed criminal charges yesterday against former Hewlett-Packard Co. chairwoman Patricia Dunn and four others implicated in a corporate spying campaign, including a private investigator from Needham.
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(InfoWorld) - A criminal case against some of the people implicated in theÂ Hewlett-Packard pretexting scandalÂ may wrap up Thursday in a courtroom in San Jose, California. A hearing is scheduled in Santa Clara County Superior Court in the cases against former HP legal counsel Kevin Hunsaker, private investigator Ronald DeLia, and research consultant Matthew DePante. At a hearing in March, a state judge said charges against the three defendants would be dismissed if they performed 96 hours of community service and paid restitution to the victims. At that same hearing, state charges against former HP chairman Patricia DunnÂ were dismissedÂ altogether. Dunn was chair of HP in 2006 when the board authorized an investigation to find out which directors had been leaking details of confidential board deliberations to news reporters. The private investigative firms hired by HP engaged in a practice known as pretexting, in which they pretended to be someone else to obtain phone records of other individuals. HP directors, employees, and several reporters had their private phone records revealed under those false pretenses. The scandalÂ resulted in the departureÂ of three directors, including Dunn, from the HP board. Dunn and the three men had beenÂ chargedÂ with fraudulent wire communications, wrongful use of computer data, identity theft, and conspiracy, in a case brought by the Attorney General of California in October 2006. The hearing Thursday had originally been scheduled for sometime in September, but may have been moved up because the defendants met the judge's requirements for dismissal, said Carl Schulhof, a spokesman for the Superior Court. State charges were dropped against a fifth defendant in the case, Bryan Wagner, after he pleaded guilty in January to one count of conspiracy and one count of aggravated identity theft. He was a contractor who engaged in pretexting to gain access to phone records. Wagner's sentencing on the federal charges was postponed to October, his attorney Stephen Naratil, said Tuesday.
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SAN JOSE, Calif. _ Hewlett-Packard agreed today to pay $14.5 million to settle civil claims brought by the California attorney general's office, also today, arising from the company's board-spying scandal.
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California's attorney general will seek criminal indictments Wednesday against former Hewlett-Packard Co. Chairwoman Patricia Dunn and four others involved in the corporate spying scandal, according to news reports.
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Let's not get civil HP will pay $14.5m to keep California prosecutors from filing civil charges against the company and its directors - both current and former.â¦
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IN a bid to put an embarrassing leaks probe behind it, Hewlett- Packard has agreed to pay California $14.5 million (Pounds 7.4 million) to settle a civil case brought by Attorney General Bill Lockyer.
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(InfoWorld) - Former Hewlett-Packard Co. chairwoman Patricia Dunn made a brief court appearance Thursday in Santa Clara County, California, to face four state felony charges in the HP boardroom scandal. Superior Court Judge Alfonso Fernandez scheduled her arraignment for Nov. 17, at which she will enter a plea to charges in the case. Also making an initial court appearance earlier in the day was Kevin Hunsaker, HP's former ethics counsel, who surrendered, was booked and was scheduled for an arraignment December 6, according to the office of California Attorney General Bill Lockyer. Three private investigators hired by HP to investigate suspected leaks to news media by HP directorsÂ were also charged Wednesday, but since they are from out-of-state, their court appearances will likely occur sometime next week, Lockyer's office said. Each of the five defendants face charges of fraudulent wire communications, wrongful use of computer data, identity theft and conspiracy. The state alleges that Dunn and Hunsaker authorized an investigation of leaks and hired the private investigators. The investigators allegedly obtained, under false pretenses, the phone records of individuals targeted in their investigation, including HP directors, some employees and journalists who cover the technology company.ADVERTISEMENTMAKE SOA REAL WITH IBM WEBSPHERE PODCASTStreamline processes and maximize efficiency within a proven service oriented architecture. Take back control of your business processes with IBM WebSphere.
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Former Hewlett-Packard Co.  Chairman Patricia Dunn is due to surrender to authorities on Thursday afternoon on felony charges for spying on reporters and company directors, the California attorney general's office said.
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Hewlett-Packard Co. said on Thursday it reached a civil settlement with the California attorney general's office related to its board-leak investigation that ultimately led to the departure of its former chairman.
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SACRAMENTO, Calif  - California's attorney general on Wednesday filed felony charges against former Hewlett-Packard Co.  Chairman Patricia Dunn and four others for spying on journalists and the company's own board of directors and executives.
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Ousted Hewlett-Packard chairwoman Patricia Dunn is expected to be indicted Wednesday in California on charges related toÂ the spying scandal that has hit the company, the New York Times reports.
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The felony charges against Patricia C. Dunn and five others are the first by California prosecutors in connection with the companyÂs illegal spying operation.
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HP to pay 14.5 million dollars to settle charges in pretexting scandal    WASHINGTON, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- Computer giant Hewlett-Packard Co. has agreed to pay 14.5 million dollars to settle civil charges stemming from a board-leak probe, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.
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Lawsuits still pending HP has paid off some of the journalists it was accused of spying on in 2006.â¦
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(InfoWorld) - An Internet business that sold people's telephone and credit-card records has agreed to settle charges that it violated U.S. law, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) said Thursday. Integrity Security & Investigation Services and its owner, Edmund Edmister, will give up $2,700, the entire amount the company earned from selling phone records and credit card transaction reports, the FTC said. The settlement also bars the company from obtaining and selling confidential phone and credit account records unless authorized by law or court order. The FTC in MayÂ filed federal court complaintsÂ against five Web-based operations allegedly engaged in pretexting, attempting to obtain phone or other personal records from companies by pretending to be the targeted customer. Integrity Security & Investigation Services is the first firm to settle with the FTC; charges are still pending against the four remaining companies. The U.S. Congress has beenÂ investigating pretextingÂ since early this year, but the practice gained national attention last month whenÂ Hewlett-Packard officials revealedÂ pretexting had been used to gain access to the phone records of employees, board members and journalists. Private investigators employed by HP allegedly used pretexting in an investigation of board leaks in 2005 and 2006. The agency dismissed charges against F. Lynne Moseley and Tracey Edmister, Integrity Security & Investigation Services corporate officers. The FTC determined they played no role in operating the business.
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By Therese Poletti, San Jose Mercury News, Calif.  SJ-0523-Hewlett-Packard-settles-with-SEC   Hewlett-Packard settles with SEC   Therese Poletti  San Jose  Mercury News, Calif.