Ohio Hacking Laws

[Barclay]

Dear Dan,

I was recently fired from a company based in Cleveland. I then went to Ireland to work for another company. A couple months later my hotmail, yahoo and skype accounts were hacked and the passwords changed. More importantly, they forwarded ALL of my emails to an unknown address. I recently became aware that it was my ex-employer. The way I know...because in a meeting, he bragged about it. He is accusing me of sharing trade secrets(which I did not) and said he has EVERY ONE of my emails. He is now blackmailing me to be THE star witness in a civil suit against the London company....big money. Is it illegal to hack into someone's personal email?

If so is it a state or federal crime?

Can you direct me to the federal and ohio statutes?

Would this be considered blackmail?

Thanks for any light you can shed on my dilemma.  

[kenway7]

Shane, this is a pretty complex situation.

Here are some resources to check out:

Federal computer crime laws:  http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/cybercrime/cclaws.html

State laws:  http://www.onlinesecurity.com/forum/article46.phphttp://law.findlaw.com/state-laws/computer-crimes/ohio/

Blackmail is not in and of itself illegal, unless it is considered extortion.  The difference is that extortion involves an underlying, independent criminal act, while blackmail does not.

I would recommend you contact your local law enforcement agency to determine if they are willing to pursue this on your behalf.  From a civil perspective, you should speak to a local attorney who has familiarity with computer crimes.  As I mentioned, you have a complex situation which should be looked at carefully.

PLEASE NOTE that the foregoing post is not legal advice, merely constitutes general information.