Husband's E-mail Snooping May Lead to Five Years in Prison

[nsane.forums]

If you've ever had the urge to check someone else's e-mail, then you've got something in common with Leon Walker, a 33-year-old computer technician from Rochester Hills, Michigan. But be warned, it may lead to prison time.

Walker suspected his wife of cheating, so he flipped through the book of passwords she conveniently kept next to the family's shared laptop, logged into her Gmail account and confirmed his suspicions. Now Oakland County prosecutors are charging him with felony computer misuse -- usually reserved for identity thieves, hackers and trade secret embezzlers. He faces five years in prison.

Prosecutor Jessica Cooper believes Walker's credentials as a trained computer technician make him a threat. "The guy is a hacker. [The computer] was password protected, he had wonderful skills, and was highly trained. Then he downloaded them and used them in a very contentious way."

Walker is being charged with Michigan statute 752.795, which reads, in part:

"A person shall not intentionally and without authorization or by exceeding valid authorization do any of the following: Access or cause access to be made to a computer program, computer, computer system or computer network to acquire, alter, damage delete or destroy property or otherwise use the service of a computer program, computer, computer system or computer network."

Though most would agree that reading someone else's e-mail -- whether in a relationship or on a shared computer or not -- is a big no-no, the charges themselves will be difficult to prove, especially since the statute is aimed toward hackers, not Gmail Peeping Toms.

"The word 'e-mail' does not appear in this statute. This is an anti-hacking statute. It does not, in any way, shape or form, encompass reading somebody's e-mail," defense attorney Leon Weiss told ABC News.

Add to the mix the fact that Walker's wife, Clara, was having an affair with her second ex-husband, who had been arrested earlier for beating her in front of her young son, who was born from her first husband. Walker was concerned about continued abuse, so he handed the e-mails over to his wife's first husband and filed an emergency motion to obtain custody.

"I was doing what I had to do," Walker told the Free Press .

"We're talking about putting a child in danger."

The trial starts February 7, 2011.

Given the case's circumstances -- child endangerment; easily accessible password on a shared computer; infidelity; barely applicable statutes -- I think that Michigan is wasting its time on Leon Walker. And while I'd never personally advocate peeking into another person's e-mail account, there are always special occasions that warrant a quick look-see.

View: Original Article

[toyo]

What the... :blink: Bitch was cheating. He had the right as her husband to make sure the relationship was safe. Hell, women (and men) should present their mail accounts to a 3rd person to discourage cheating. She should be the one prosecuted for stupidity, stupidity and stupidity. Did I mention stupidity yet? She was keeping the passwords written in a known location, aka the notebook.

Not more I can do but sigh, as usual...

[myidisbb]

so basically the bitch was cheating on her 3rd husband. the state prosector should be fired on the spot.

[Nemesis]

:tooth: thats retarded... so on that same logic, if my girlfriends phone goes off and i read a txt message i could go to jail too? i would understand if she didnt keep a password written down, if he actually hacked the account or if the computer was hers and hers only that he had absolutely no access too whatsoever. even without the password written down, he was her husband. He probably could just have guessed it.

keeping the password on paper beside the computer is no different then say, reading an e-mail in Outlook or any other e-mail program that fetches e-mails with no manual authentication :frusty:

[Marik]

so lemme get this straight

#1 - dude was married with a bitch, who was cheating on him with her second husband, who was beating her for no apparent reason

#2 - had a child not with her current husband, nor her second, but her first

#3 - keeps her f*****g passwords where everyone could see them....did it ever occur to those fucktards that he can also see the passwords if she has firefox? (dunno about opera or chrome cause I never bothered to check)

#4 - the guy does the right thing

#5 - the government decides to throw him in jail....yet if it were to happen to the judge or another government sh*tfu*k, there wouldn't even be a trial....the perpetrator would get sent to jail instead in the blink of an eye.

#6 - justice has been served? :fear:

what the shit? :blink:

The guys who prosecuted him should be

#1 - spit

#2 - slapped

#3 - beaten to an inch of their life

#4 - stripped of their power and social status

#5 - thrown in jail

#6 - justice served :dance2:

[Atasas]

please dont hate me, but imagine what would happen if J. Assagne would end up in such wise justices system :mellow:

[Nemesis]

please dont hate me, but imagine what would happen if J. Assagne would end up in such wise justices system :mellow:

lmao too late -_-