No criminal charges will be filed against the Lower Merion School District in suburban Philadelphia that secretly snapped tens of thousands of webcam photographs and screen shots originating from laptops the school issued to students. The FBI and federal prosecutors have announced that they could not prove any criminal wrongdoing by the Lower Merion School District employees.
"After a thorough review of the evidence in this matter by my office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office, the Montgomery County Detectives, and the Lower Merion Police Department, I have concluded that bringing criminal charges is not warranted in this matter," said Memeger. " For the government to prosecute a criminal case, it must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the person charged acted with criminal intent. We have not found evidence that would establish beyond a reasonable doubt that anyone involved had criminal intent. I understand that the civil litigation continues. I chose to make this announcement before the beginning of the school year to close at least one part of this matter."
Response from Dr. Christopher W. McGinley, Superintendent, Lower Merion School District:
"We are very pleased with today's decision by the US Attorney's Office, which supports the findings of our internal investigation and follows last night's approval of new laptop policies by the School Board. This is all good news for the students and staff of Lower Merion School District as we prepare for the start of a new school year."
See the original stories here:
Pa. school district allegedly snaps thousands of webcam spy images of students at home
Investigator's report issued in school 'webcamgate' laptop spy case
(source: LMSD)
Video: Lower Merion IT Staffer describes their Theft Tracking (webcamgate) Software
Comments
While I understand that the criminal charges have been dropped by the FBI in this Webcamgate, I do hope that some civil legal consequences to come come down on the Lower Merion School District in suburban Philadelphia. I also hope that parents and students alike have learned a valuable lesson. "Free" laptops come with hidden strings, don't they?
I am surprised at the FBI findings and shocked the school would spy on students like that.
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