America's second-most famous email hacker of the year — behind the guy who snuck into Sarah Palin's Yahoo account — has learned his fate: Former CBS 3 anchor Larry Mendte was sentenced to six months of house arrest, three years probation, a $5,000 fine, and 250 hours of community service after breaking into and leaking embarrassing information (like bikini pics!) from then co-anchor Alycia Lane's email account, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer. Ms. Lane was there in the courtroom when Mendte received his sentence; they might yet meet again, as Lane pursues a civil suit against him, CBS 3, and the Philadelphia Daily News.
You guys remember the Alycia Lane/Larry Mendte scandal, right? It wasn't that long ago that CBS3 anchor Mendte was accused of breaking into co-anchor Lane's email account and spreading all her drrrrty business (including sending naked pics of herself to a married coworker) to the gossip rags in Philly.
In the end, Mendte didn't get in that much trouble, while Lane had her career ruined, which may have been what prompted another disgraced Philly TV personality to get all crazy over one of his female coworkers.
Or maybe there just isn't enough hard news in Philly these days, the anchors are all turning it in on themselves:
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Despite what the T-shirt says, Larry Mendte is a criminal. He's even admitted to it. The axed former Philly CBS 3 anchor today pleaded guilty to illegally accessing former co-anchor Alycia Lane's email and spreading around his findings to the gossip columns, all part of a plan to take her down.
Which he masterfully accomplished.
Except by reaching a plea deal with prosecutors, Mendte isn't going to have to pay for it — he's being handed a probation sentence, and isn't required to make any restitution.
And that, say some, isn't fair: CONTINUED »
What began as some a gossip column item about a local CBS news anchor (in Philadelphia, for that matter) sending racy photos of herself to a married sportscaster has turned into formal criminal charges against her then co-anchor for hacking into her computer.
Last May, word arrived that since-fired anchorwoman Alycia Lane has sent the NFL Network's Rich Eisen pics of herself in a bikini. Eisen, who is married, happened to share an email account with his wife; his wife replied to the email with some not so nice things to say.
But how did all of this info leak to the press? In not so surprising news, federal prosecutors say Lane's former co-anchor Larry Mendte was behind it all, sabotaging her career by snooping on her personal email and sending it to the gossips. Too bad hacking into somebody's computer is a crime! CONTINUED »
Axed CBS3 anchor Larry Mendte, the onetime Access Hollywood talent who stands accused of leaking the scandal-causing personal emails of former co-anchor Alycia Lane, warned organizations he was connected to ahead of time that "something bad was going to come out." He notified Philadelphia's St. Patrick's Day Parade and Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation, among others, on Thursday, May 29, that their association with him was going to become a liability. Indeed, that day the FBI raided his house, confiscated computer equipment, and word arrived that he was allegedly spying on his then-colleague. Suffice to say, Mendte will probably not be asked to be a part of next year's parade. [Phi-Inq]
You know how Sarah Jessica Parker is a horse? Well axed CBS3 anchor and suspected Alycia Lane email leaker Larry Mendte is not a criminal! Sure, the feds may think so, but the website selling this T-shirt insists: "Larry Mendte is a lot of things. A reporter. An entertainer. A historian. A humanitarian. Larry Mendte is all of these things. But Larry Mendte is most certainly not a criminal." [via CB]
"Effective immediately," Philly CBS anchor Larry Mendte has been fired. The announcement was read on the air last night and follows his expected dismissal after federal agents raided his home and launched an investigation into the possibility he snooped on then-co-anchor Alycia Lane's personal email and leaked parts of it to the press. Lane, meanwhile, has filed a suit against her old employer, accusing them of things like defamation and general throwing of her under the bus.
Lesbian cop-hating former Philly anchor Alycia Lane, armed with new ammo against her old employer, is suing CBS3 for unspecified damages amidst various claims that they: 1) forced her out of her job; 2) defamed her; 3) demanded she do a Dr. Phil interview to drum up ratings; 4) did nothing to stem leaks about her personal life (like how she sent bikini pictures to married sportscaster Rich Eisen); 5) protected co-anchor Larry Mendte who, while not named as a defendant, is accused of harboring ill-will toward her because she was pulling in $100k more per year; and 6) that the station was one big sexist work environment. Mendte, of course, is now the focus of a federal investigation as to whether he accessed her private email and then leaked its contents to Page Six. And to top things all off, Mendte remains an employee at CBS3, while Lane was forced out in January.
When it was revealed this week that former CBS-Philadelphia news anchor Alycia Lane might have been the victim of email hacking by then-co-anchor Larry Mendte, who stands accused of leaking her emails to the media, plenty of copy was used speculating why he would sabotage his one-time friend and ratings-winning partner. (Mendte is now being investigated by the FBI for his alleged unlawful snooping.)
Hacks like us, however, began connecting the dots between rumors that he leaked her personal emails to the press and the stories that appeared in Page Six, May 2007, about Lane sending emails with racy photos to sports anchor Rich Eisen, which were intercepted by his wife Suzy Shuster. Was Mendte the anonymous source of those incriminating emails that nearly cost Lane her job?
Today, very interestingly, Page Six itself is joining the speculation. Indeed, they're reporting on the rumors that Mendte was their source. CONTINUED »
Alycia Lane, the former CBS anchor in Philadelphia who was fired after calling a cop a "dyke bitch," may have been the victim of email snooping. By her ex-co-anchor.
Larry Mendte, who teamed with Lane in September 2003 and quickly saw their ratings shoot skyward, is being investigated by the FBI on allegations that he opened Lane's private Yahoo email and then leaked what he read to the media.
On Saturday, federal agents raided Mendte's home and seized a computer. Should they find evidence that Mendte, who earns an estimated $700,000 a year, was leaking her secrets, Lane's case against CBS, for wrongful termination, could gain a helluva lot more ammo. (More on that below.)
Lane, of course, made headlines in May 2007 when her emails, with some racy photos, to sports anchor Rich Eisen, which were intercepted by his wife Suzy Shuster (thanks to their joint email account), who promptly replied to her with a scathing email.
But staffers at the station are left wondering: Why would Mendte 1) read her private emails; and 2) leak their contents? After all, weren't these colleagues friends?
Perhaps not, say current and former staffers: "Their off-air relationship had its highs and lows; they seemed to be barely speaking by the end of last year." CONTINUED »
Alycia Lane's schmucky attorney held this impromptu press conference after his client – the cat lover and embattled former Philadelphia CBS3 anchor best known for sending bikini pics to a married NFL Network anchor and calling a female police officer a "dyke bitch" – had charges against her (of assaulting a police officer) dropped this week. Prosecutors opted not to pursue the felony charge because "the scratches to the plainclothes police officer were not serious enough to support the charge." Which totally means all those lowlifes on Law & Order who simply shove Chris Noth's character are totally in the clear.
Meanwhile, Howard Stern has been kind to weigh in.
"ALYCIA Lane is kinder to animals than she is to the NYPD. The fired Philadelphia TV anchor rode to the rescue of boyfriend Chris Booker's 11-year-old cat, Puddy, the other day after the kitty's legs went limp. She whisked Puddy off to the vet and the feline is doing fine. Meanwhile, Lane yesterday sued her former station over her Jan. 7 dismissal following a foul-mouthed homophobic attack on a NYPD cop." [P6]
• That cute polar bear in Germany raised by scientists has turned into a psychopath. Resident misanthrope Cord Jefferson says, "This is so perfect. This says so much about humanity."
• As you might remember from yesterday, we love Hot Chip. And so do their PR people and they gave us their new track "Made in the Dark."
• Beauty has no race. At least it shouldn't.
• 3000 words on how and why Alycia Lane is crazy. Having to introduce yourself as "Alycia with a Y" would do that to anyone. CONTINUED »
LOVERS' LANE Axed Philly news anchor and "dyke" screamer Alycia Lane appears to be splitting town. She's put her condo on the market, perhaps to pay her attorneys' fees, perhaps because she's wearing a scarlet letter. [P6]
GONE CBS 3 in Philadelphia has officially fired "vacationing" anchorwoman Alycia Lane. Something about calling a police woman a dyke bitch. Lane's lawyers call the decision "unfair." [AP]
NO ALARMS AND NO SURPRISES Sources at Playboy say they’re considering offering Alycia Lane some serious vacation spending money to pose for the magazine. How else could the story of an attractive semi-famous person yelling homophobic epithets at a cop end? [Queerty]
• Philadelphia Channel 3 loves the dykes. Their "vacationing" Anchorwoman Alycia “with a y” Lane is less amorous toward them.
• Ron Paul's blimp is as confused as Ron Paul's presidency.
• Kanye West doesn't care about black people.
• Progress: Women can bartend in India. Less progress: women in India can now exploit themselves for tips.
• Naomi Campbell is now a model slash journalist, specializing in Q&As with dictators even crazier than she is.
• Facebook is taking over the world. Or not. Probably not.
We know why Channel 3 hired Alycia Lane. It's because she's car-crack-up beautiful, a size 2, and the camera adores her. … Lane is famous for her bikini pics, 55 jackets in her closet, her boyfriends and breakups, inappropriate e-mails to married men, Dr. Phil confessions and, since last Sunday, her alleged shameful language and a felony charge for punching a New York City cop.
-Karen Heller, "In Local TV, Sadly, Looks Are Everything," Philadelphia Inquirer
Wow, what a weekend. Who would have guessed that the Cowboys would lose or that Philadelphia anchor Alycia Lane would be only a bit of paperwork away from losing her job?
After “allegedly” calling a cop a dyke bitch and smacking her, higher-ups KYW-TV told their newswoman to start her Christmas vacation yesterday. Sweet! Except a spokeswoman for the station did not say when Lane’s leave would end. Bummer!
With this extra time off, Lane can start thinking about resolutions. Giving up calling police officers homophobic epithets might be a good place to start.
Update: Alycia Lane, the low-level anchor with the penchant for high-level gossip, has been absurd before. She’s the same newscaster who sent bikini shots of herself to married NFL Network's Rich Eisen and later was kicking it with Chris Wragge of Channel 2.
Now she’s dating a DJ, which unless you're in the market for genital warts, is crazy enough before you start calling a cop a "dyke bitch."
