Mendte admits ‘improper relationship’ with Lane
Former CBS3 anchor Larry Mendte pleaded guilty today to hacking into the e-mail accounts of onetime colleague Alycia Lane, and then, later in the day, said he had a "flirtatious, unprofessional and improper relationship" with Lane.
Mendte, who is married to Fox 29 anchor Dawn Stensland, apologized to his wife, to viewers - and to Lane, saying that he had been wrong to access her e-mails and then pass along information to reporters.
But Mendte said their once-close relationship "turned into a personal feud" - and that Lane started "undermining" him with station management. That, he said, was when he began to check her e-mail.
Lane's lawyer, Paul R. Rosen, said the two did not have an affair. "He was careful not to say it," Rosen said of Mendte, and said he would "sue him for defamation" if he dared make such an accusation. "He knows it's false," said Rosen.
He accused Mendte of "manipulation of the media" and said the statement was "shocking and shows the true lack of remorse which the judge should take into consideration at sentencing.
Earlier, during a brief court hearing in Philadelphia, Mendte pleaded guilty to a single felony count. Federal prosecutors agreed not to make any recommendation of whether Mendte should be sentenced to prison though U.S. District Judge Mary McLaughlin still would be free to impose such a sentence.
Under federal sentencing guidelines, Mendte could face a maximum of six months in prison.
Mendte had no comment as he emerged from the courtroom, but his wife, Stensland, said, "I love my husband, and he's a good man."
During the 35-minute proceeding, Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Levy recounted the government's evidence and said that Mendte hacked into Lane's email accounts more than 500 times between January and May of this year.
"To your knowledge, is everything he said accurate and correct?" asked McLaughlin.
"Yes," replied Mendte, who was in court with his defense attorney Michael Schwartz.
Mendte told the judge that he was "a little nervous, your honor, but I feel okay" as she sought to make sure that Mendte wanted to plead guilty and was legally competent to do so.
He said that he has "seen a therapist since this happened" and has been prescribed Ativan but rarely takes it.
Mendte had plenty of support in the courtroom.
In addition to his wife, a dozen or so family members lined the front row of the courtroom.
Mendte, 51, was charged last month with a single felony count of accessing e-mail without authorization.
Federal prosecutors alleged that Mendte logged into Lane's personal accounts about 537 times between January and May 26 from his home computer, from a computer at his vacation home and from a computer at work.
He was fired in June, three and a half weeks after FBI agents seized his home computer during the investigation.
Lane, meanwhile, was fired in January after her arrest in New York for allegedly hitting a cop, though the charge was later dropped. She has a lawsuit pending against the station.