Charges Against HP’s Dunn Dropped

By Michael Santo
Executive Editor, RealTechNews

Most likely you are aware of the pretexting scandal that rocked HP last year. Today the judge in the case dropped all charges against former board Chairwoman Patricia Dunn, while at the same time accepting “no contest” pleas from 3 other defendents, who will receive no jail time after they complete 96 hours of community service and make restitution.

“This is a vindication of Patty Dunn in every sense of the word,” said her lawyer, James Brosnahan. “It shows what she’s maintained throughout: that she’s innocent of these charges.”

The four were initially charged in October with four felony counts: use of false or fraudulent pretenses to obtain confidential information from a public utility; unauthorized access to computer data; identity theft; and conspiracy to commit each of those crimes. Source: Yahoo! News

We Say: These are just state charges; the feds are still investigating … and if they so choose, they can bring their own charges. For me … perhaps Dunn was out of the loop, but I’m not sure why everyone in this case walks with just a slap on the wrist.