PA Man Charged With Wire-Tapping Estranged Wife's Email, Facebook Account
HARRISBURG (CBS) -- A Dauphin County man has been arrested and charged with wire-tapping his estranged wife's computer to spy on her email and Facebook communications.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Bruce Beemer announced the arrest of 36-year-old David Randall Maurer, an employee of the Dauphin County information technology department. Maurer is accused of installing spyware monitoring software on a laptop being used by his estranged wife that allowed him to capture every key stroke, screenshot and website she visited.
Through this monitoring, officials allege Maurer was able to obtain passwords and log into his estranged wife's private email and Facebook accounts to view private chats and email messages, according to the criminal complaint.
Investigators also believe Maurer provided the illegally-captured screenshots to a court-ordered custody evaluator assigned to the case of Maurer and his estranged wife.
The Attorney General's Computer Forensics Unit were able to confirm that the spyware software was used on the laptop in question. Furthermore, investigators allege Maurer used his employer's Wifi connection to do the spying.
Maurer has been charged with three counts of illegal interception, disclosure or use of wire and one count of unlawful access to store communications, among other related charges.
His bail was set at $20,000 unsecured, following a preliminary arraignment.
His preliminary hearing is set for Dec, 15.
