A New York City police officer is facing criminal charges this week after allegedly hacking into the personal email accounts of fellow officers and others to snoop on his girlfriend.
Edwin Vargas, 42, of Bronxville, has been charged with hacking and conspiracy to commit computer hacking and could face as much as a year in prison if convicted, reports the New York Daily News.
Vargas was arraigned in a Manhattan Federal Court and released on $50,000 bond earlier this week. According to the Post, no official motive for the hacking has been released but it is believe Vargas was attempting to snoop on his ex-girlfriend, who is also a cop.
"He has dedicated his life to keeping the public safe and has never been in any trouble before," a lawyer for Vargas said in an official statement.
Police commissioner Ray Kelly also spoke on the case with the Post saying:
"I know that the allegations have to do with the fact that he went to a company to be able to hack into information that may have been related to a relationship he had with a young woman and I believe the mother of his child," said Kelly.
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