The California attorney general has offered to drop felony charges against the four remaining defendants charged in the Hewlett-Packard spying case if they plead guilty to one misdemeanor each, according to published reports.The San Jose Mercury News quoted anonymous sources familiar with the case, while the Associated Press quoted Stephen Naratil, the attorney for private investigator Bryan Wagner, who pleaded guilty on Jan. 12 in exchange for an agreement to cooperate with federal prosecutors investigating the case. He faces sentencing June 20 on one count of conspiracy and one count of aggravated identity theft. Wagner is the only defendant in the case so far who has been charged in federal court.Authorities began investigating HP last year after the company revealed it hired private detective agencies to trace the source of leaks from HP’s board to reporters. The private detectives allegedly used a tactic called pretexting to gain unauthorized access to telephone records of targets of the HP investigation.A spokesman for the attorney representing former HP Chairwoman Patricia Dunn declined to comment on the published reports. Attorneys for former HP attorney Kevin Hunsaker could not be reached for comment, but in the past they have indicated no interest in accepting a plea agreement. The four remaining defendants are charged with fraudulent wire communications, wrongful use of computer data, identity theft and conspiracy. Besides Dunn and Hunsaker, Ronald DeLia of Security Outsourcing Solutions in Boston, and Matthew DePante, manager of Action Research Group in Melbourne, Fla., face state charges.In federal court last Friday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Krotoski said that DePante hired Wagner, of Littleton, Colo., and directed him to use pretexting to get phone records. HP reached an agreement Dec. 8, 2006, with the office of then-Attorney General Bill Lockyer to settle potential civil charges in the case. HP agreed to pay US$14.5 million, which will go into a state law enforcement fund to investigate cases of corporate privacy violations. Lockyer was elected state treasurer in the November election, and former California Governor and Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown was elected attorney general.-Robert Mullins, IDG News Service (San Francisco Bureau)Related Link: HP Spying ScandalCheck out our CIO News Alerts and Tech Informer pages for more updated news coverage. Related content brandpost Sponsored by SAP When natural disasters strike Japan, Ōita University’s EDiSON is ready to act With the technology and assistance of SAP and Zynas Corporation, Ōita University built an emergency-response collaboration tool named EDiSON that helps the Japanese island of Kyushu detect and mitigate natural disasters. By Michael Kure, SAP Contributor Dec 07, 2023 5 mins Digital Transformation brandpost Sponsored by BMC BMC on BMC: How the company enables IT observability with BMC Helix and AIOps The goals: transform an ocean of data and ultimately provide a stellar user experience and maximum value. By Jeff Miller Dec 07, 2023 3 mins IT Leadership brandpost Sponsored by BMC The data deluge: The need for IT Operations observability and strategies for achieving it BMC Helix brings thousands of data points together to create a holistic view of the health of a service. By Jeff Miller Dec 07, 2023 4 mins IT Leadership how-to How to create an effective business continuity plan A business continuity plan outlines procedures and instructions an organization must follow in the face of disaster, whether fire, flood, or cyberattack. Here’s how to create a plan that gives your business the best chance of surviving such an By Mary K. Pratt, Ed Tittel, Kim Lindros Dec 07, 2023 11 mins Small and Medium Business IT Skills Backup and Recovery Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe