Former KYW Anchor Mendte Charged with Hacking
Former KYW Philadelphia anchor Larry Mendte allegedly hacked into former anchor colleague Alycia Lane’s e-mail account, leaked personal information to Philadelphia Daily News reporter.
By Michael Malone -- Broadcasting & Cable, 7/22/2008 6:44:00 AM
Former KYW Philadelphia anchor Larry Mendte was charged with intentionally accessing a protected computer without authorization after allegedly sneaking into former anchor colleague Alycia Lane’s e-mail account hundreds of times.
Mendte then allegedly leaked Lane’s ill-gotten personal information to a Philadelphia Daily News reporter.
It is a felony charge.
“As we continually have said from day one, Larry has been cooperating fully with the investigators," Mendte’s attorney, Michael Schwartz, told AP. "He continues to cooperate and will accept full responsibility for his actions."
Mendte was fired from KYW last month. Lane was dismissed in January following an incident with a New York Police Department officer, the latest in a string of headline-grabbing incidents involving Lane.
In June, Lane filed a lawsuit against KYW, which is owned by CBS, for gender discrimination.
Lane’s attorney, Paul Rosen, alleged that Mendte acted out of jealousy as Lane’s popularity -- and salary -- climbed.
According to AP, federal guidelines call for a sentence of up to six months in prison if Mendte is found guilty.
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Mendte "expected to" plead guilty, according to today's Phila. Inquirer. He hasn't done so yet. A correction of post below.
Philly Phlash - 7/22/2008 12:23:00 PM EDT -
Was Mendte set up? Maybe. It's widely talked about in Philly TV news circles that another recently terminated KYW-TV employee was the one who installed "keystroke capture" software on a newsroom computer. That raises an interesting issue: Did the keystroke capture guy entice Mendte by doing the hack job and then showing Mendte the fruits of his labors? Mendte was wrong, for sure, and has pleaded guilty to a single count. But what about that other terminated employee? How did he get hired? When, and did he have an ulterior motive? Perhaps Mr. Malone of B&C should visit Philly in person and hit the bars where the TV folks hang. He might get another perspective that raises this question for all TV news people: Are you being set up for a fall? And by whom?
Philly Phlash - 7/22/2008 12:14:00 PM EDT
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