"Bryan Fleming, creator of stalkerware called pcTattletale, pled [PDF] guilty in the Southern District of California federal court on Tuesday to one count of selling software designed with the primary purpose of intercepting communications, with an interstate commerce element, in violation of federal law. According to the plea agreement, Fleming sold the stalkerware from Michigan. In at least one instance, it was purchased by a buyer in the Southern District of California, allowing the case to be filed there."
"As reported by the Detroit News in December, federal law enforcement agents with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations division had been investigating Fleming since at least 2021. pcTattletale was singled out because it was specifically marketed for unlawful spying on partners and spouses, an HSI agent wrote in a search warrant affidavit for Fleming's home filed in November 2022, but not unsealed until last month."
Federal prosecutors secured a guilty plea from Bryan Fleming for selling pcTattletale, a consumer-grade stalkerware designed to intercept communications with an interstate commerce element. Fleming sold the software from Michigan, and at least one purchase occurred in the Southern District of California, providing venue for federal charges. pcTattletale was advertised beginning in 2017 to users seeking to spy on spouses or partners. The software captured texts, emails, calls, geolocation, web history, and performed video capture when devices were unlocked. Homeland Security Investigations had been investigating Fleming since at least 2021, and a search warrant was filed in November 2022.
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