Ex-HP Chairman Charges Dropped
Ex-HP Chairman Charges Dropped
March 15, 2007: Charges have been dropped against former HP Chairman Patricia Dunn, while three other defendants in the case will also avoid jail time in the fallout from HP’s boardroom spying scandal.
A California judge dismissed all charges relating to Dunn’s involvement in the scandal after a settlement was reach between Dunn’s lawyers and the California Attorney General’s office.
<> Private investigators Ronald DeLia and Matthew DePante as well as HP’s former ethics chief Kevin Hunsaker will have their charges dropped after completing 96 hours of community services.
The scandal sparked concerns of US privacy laws after HP came under scruity for tactics it used to uncover the source of media leaks between 2005 and 2006. In a bid to obtain private telephone records HP hired investigators to impersonate reporters, board members and employees.
The four defendants had originally been charge with felony offences, including identity theft and fraud which can carry heavy fines and prison terms. The defendants later pleaded no contest to misdemeanour charges of fraud, Dunn escaped the community service as she is currently battling cancer.
Unless further Federal charges are filed, the announcement from the California Attorney General’s office is expected to bring an end to the case.