Jude Denis, 54, of Wyncote was convicted along with Frances Marie Eddings, 68, of Orlando, FL, of accessing a computer system without authorization for pecuniary gain from a non-profit charity organization. The trial took place in the Allentown Federal Courthouse. The announcement was made by United States Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams.

The conviction stems from charges mad in September 2019. The original charges were one count of conspiracy, three counts of unauthorized access to a computer, and aiding and abetting, stemming from their scheme to receive a payment of money from the Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF), where Denis used to work. To carry out the crime, the defendants accessed internal documents obtained via unauthorized access to the computer system of PCF and then threatened to make the documents public.

From the Department of Justice:

Evidence presented at trial showed that on several occasions over the course of several days after Denis left her employment, PCF computers were accessed, and documents were downloaded to her laptop and emailed to Eddings. In a series of emails sent by Eddings to PCF, the defendants demanded a payment of $150,000 in lost wages for Denis, as well as a $37,500 payment for Eddings for acting on Denis’ behalf. In those emails, Eddings threatened to release the documents to the public if their demands were not met. When their demands were ultimately not met, Eddings sent a series of emails to the PCF Board, PCF donors, and members of the media, sharing her previous correspondence and attaching the documents.

We will have more information after the sentencing.