US Charges New York Observer Editor With Cybercrimes Despite Pardon From Donald Trump

© REUTERS / ANDREW KELLY

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - US District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr. has charged New York Observer Editor-in-Chief Kenneth Kurson with cybercrimes despite his being previously pardoned by former President Donald Trump, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said on Wednesday.

“Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance, Jr. today filed charges against Kenneth Kurson, 52, in New York County Criminal Court,” the office said in a press release. “Kurson is charged with eavesdropping and computer trespass, each a class E felony… while he served as Editor-In-Chief of Observer Media Group.”

On October 23, 2020, Kurson was charged for related conduct but on January 20, 2021, he was granted a full pardon by outgoing president Trump. However, the latest New York State charges follow an investigation that began in January 2021 after the pardon was issued, the release said.

“We will not accept presidential pardons as get-out-of-jail-free cards for the well-connected in New York. As alleged in the complaint, Mr. Kurson launched a campaign of cybercrime, manipulation, and abuse from his perch at the New York Observer, and now the people of New York will hold him accountable,” Vance said.

As alleged in the Manhattan Criminal Court Complaint, from September 24, 2015, to March 3, 2016, Kurson unlawfully used an electronic monitoring software program commonly known as “spyware” on a computer belonging to his then-wife, with whom he lived, the release said.

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