A doctor who worked as a surgeon and researcher at a cancer center in Houston, Texas, for over 20 years has been accused of installing spying software on his estranged wife’s computer. He allegedly did this with the aid of a computer specialist while the couple was in the middle of divorce proceedings. The software used is known as eBlaster and is not hard to obtain. It can be purchased online for as little as $99.
What the program does is secretly record all things done on the computer by the user, such as emails or online chats. Copies of the information, including passwords and user names are automatically emailed to the person who installed the software. The doctor’s now-ex-wife was a physician’s assistant at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, the same place the husband worked.
The doctor is 57 years old and left the cancer center to become a part of the Baylor College of Medicine, serving as chief of surgical oncology at the Baylor College of Medicine. The doctor claims that his reasons for using the software were understandable. He allegedly used the help of a 42-year-old technical specialist in spying on his wife’s computer. Online evidence is certainly used more in divorce proceedings these days, but it usually is more in the form of public information, such as online postings. The two men are facing criminal prosecution on charges that could result in up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
There are many legitimate and perfectly legal discovery and investigative techniques that can be used to uncover evidence that can be used in a divorce proceeding. Experienced divorce attorneys know how to use such techniques to find out about their opponent’s finances, online postings and whether assets are being concealed.
Source: Culture Map Houston, “Noted cancer surgeon accused of hacking ex-wife’s computer during divorce” Tyler Rudick, Jan. 08, 2014