Former Commissioner’s Prosecution Over Wiretapping Charges Eventually Starts

Bruce Barclay former Commissioner of Cumberland County (Pennsylvania, USA) appeared in court on November 22, 2010 facing trial following charges filed against him in 2008 that he committed computer-related crimes comprising prostitution and infiltration of privacy.

Actually, it was in 2008 during the start of the case's development that someone named David Taylor blamed Barclay of sexually exploiting or raping him inside the latter's house. But, it turned out that the charges were untrue assertions and Barclay came out free of conviction. However, when investigations were carried out, police found cameras hidden in Barclay's home with which he evidently clicked his own photographs in sexual positions with young males that included Taylor, a college student, too. Consequently, Barclay was sued.

Now, prosecutors dealing with the case are claiming that Barclay planted spying software on Taylor's laptop when he was cleaning Barclay's home after he was hired to do the chore. Barclay, by using this spyware accessed the college student's secret chats, e-mails and other online activity.

Argued Matthew Gover Defense Attorney representing Barclay his client that Taylor was aware of Barclay's spyware installation for being able to see the formers computer operations; hence the whole thing was hardly illegal. Pennlive.com published this on November 23, 2010.

Indeed, the Defense Advisor also highlighted that Barclay paid Taylor $2,000 towards a settlement with him.

But Taylor denied knowing Barclay's act of the spyware installation. According to him, he first came to know that the former commissioner had planted 'eBlaster,' name of the spyware, on his computer book at the time Bryan Henneman, state Trooper and a Criminal Investigation Unit member informed him during August 2008. Pennlive.com reported this on November 23, 2010.

In the meantime, refuting Gover's argument, the prosecutor Jonelle Eshbach, Senior Deputy Attorney General said that Barclay had committed crime of wiretapping as well as other offenses as Taylor had no idea of the spyware. According to her, Barclay could be imprisoned in case he was proved guilty of even one of the offenses. Pennlive.com reported this on November 23, 2010.

Eshbach stated that she thought Mr. Barclay exploited young men.

Related article: Former Council Intern Charged with Intruding City E-mail

» SPAMfighter News - 12/2/2010