Journalist Faces New ‘Hacker’ Charges

Federal prosecutors dropped charges Friday against a free-lance journalist who was arrested for allegedly trying to steal information from the computers of Fox Television’s tabloid show “A Current Affair,” but hours later he faced similar “computer hacking” charges in state court.

Stuart Goldman, 44, pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in Los Angeles Municipal Court and was released on his own recognizance.

Goldman was arrested March 8 at his Studio City apartment, where Los Angeles police confiscated his personal computer and floppy disks.

The next day, federal and state officials announced that Goldman had attempted to steal sensitive information from Fox computers in New York and Los Angeles.

Fox officials told authorities that someone had been trying to gain access to their computers and that the hacker used the same computer password in both cities.

Goldman had worked briefly for “A Current Affair,” a show that offers a mix of gossip and news. Goldman also worked for a competing show called “Hard Copy.”

Federal prosecutors filed an affidavit in U.S. District Court in New York last month stating that Goldman had attempted to gain access to sensitive files regarding news stories worked on by Fox journalists.

Neither law enforcement nor Fox officials have said what information they believe Goldman was seeking.

Goldman recently tried to sell an inside story on so-called tabloid television shows to the Los Angeles Times. On Friday, Goldman said the research on his article was complete, but declined to say if he had found someone to publish it.

Goldman’s attorney, Alan Rubin of West Los Angeles, said Friday morning that he had persuaded the U.S. attorney’s office in New York to drop the federal charges there.

Federal prosecutors would not comment on why the charges in New York were dropped. Fox spokesman Dennis Petroskey also declined any comment on the case.

Friday afternoon, the district attorney’s office charged Goldman with seven felony counts of violating the California Penal Code section prohibiting unauthorized access to computers. Goldman used another person’s access code to gain entry to a Fox television computer at Channel 11 in Hollywood, according to Sandi Gibbons, a spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office. She said Goldman used telephone lines to extract material from Fox computers and place it into his home computer.

Goldman, who has written articles for National Review magazine and the Los Angeles Times, among other publications, faces a maximum six-year prison term if convicted on all charges, Gibbons said.