Former Greenville County Councilman Convicted of Computer Spying

Columbia, South Carolina ---- United States Attorney W. Walter Wilkins stated that former Greenville County Councilman Harold Anthony “Tony” Trout was convicted by a federal jury today in Spartanburg on four counts of illegally accessing computers and intercepting electronic communications. United States District Judge Henry F. Floyd will sentence Trout after he has received a presentence report from the U.S. Probation Office. The sentencing date was not announced, but is likely to take place in approximately 60 to 90 days. Trout was not taken into custody, but allowed to remain free on bond until sentencing.

Evidence presented at trial established that while serving as a Greenville County Councilman, Trout surreptitiously implanted a computer monitoring software program onto a computer used by Greenville County Administrator Joe Kernell, so that Trout could secretly access the computer and gain information from it. Trout was able to implant the monitoring program by sending it in an email attachment, which activated the monitoring program once the attachment was opened. Once installed, Trout could use his own computer to access Kernell’s computer files. Trout used the information gathered by the software on Kernell’s computer to obtain Kernell’s user name and password for Kernell’s email account, and downloaded information from Kernell’s computer to his own. Trout then shared some of the intercepted information with another individual, who alerted federal authorities.

Trout was convicted of two counts of illegally accessing a computer, one count of illegally intercepting an electronic communication, and one count of unlawfully disclosing the intercepted electronic communication. He faces a maximum possible punishment of 16 years in prison and a $850,000.00 fine.

The case was investigated by agents of the FBI. Assistant United States Attorney Dean Eichelberger of the Columbia office, and Josh Goldfoot of the Department of Justice, Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section in Washington, DC.