Former Philly Anchor Larry Mendte Charged in Hacking Alycia Lane's Email

Larry Mendte, the Philadelphia news anchor, was officially charged for hacking into former co-anchor Alycia Lane's personal email on Tuesday.

According to reports, Mendte, the former CBS affiliate KYW-TV anchor, hacked into Lane's email hundreds of times for more than two years, leaking personal information that eventually caused Lane's professional demise.

Mendte, 51, gained access to Lane's accounts from home and at work, reportedly about 537 times between January and May alone, and shared some of the information he found with a reporter.

Mendte, who co-anchored the news with Lane for more than four years, with a felony count of intentionally accessing a protected computer without authorization. Mendte could face up to six months in jail if convicted of the charges.

Mendte was fired last month after FBI agents searched his home and seized his computer.

Lane was fired in January from KYW-TV after a series of embarrassing off-camera incidents, including a scuffle with a New York City police officer. She made national news by sending NFL TV anchor Rich Eisen bikini pictures to his personal email, which Eisen shares with his wife Suzy Shuster.

Thus far, Lane's bikini pictures have not surfaced online, but several sites have placed Lane's face on random bikini photos, in order to fool web surfers.

Authorities say that Mendte told a Philadelphia Daily News reporter information that helped the reported get the "scoop" on Lane's criminal case. Authorities also found a picture of Lane in a bikini on Mendte's personal computer.

Lane's attorney cites jealousy as the main reason for Mendte's hacking. In February 2005, Lane was making $780,000 a year, $100,000 more than Mendte. The two co-anchored the 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. nightly broadcasts on KYW-TV from September 2003 until Lane was fired.

Mendte, who is married to local Fox news anchor Dawn Stensland, joined the station in July 2003 after several years at the local NBC affiliate. He previously co-hosted "Access Hollywood" and worked at stations in Chicago, San Diego and New York.

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