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Every word you say

From emails and other documents related to Project Kona II, a surveillance operation run by private investigators hired by Hewlett-Packard last January to identify a source of leaks of confidential HP information to the press. Under the supervision of Patricia Dunn, chair of HP’s board of directors, and Kevin Hunsaker, an HP senior counsel and ethics officer, the firm spied on board members as well as nine journalists, including reporters at the New York Times, BusinessWeek, the Wall Street Journal, and CNET News. In October, Dunn, Hunsaker, and three investigators, who obtained targets’ phone records on false pretenses, were charged in California on four felony counts, including wire fraud, conspiracy, and identity theft. Dawn Kawamoto is a CNET reporter. Ronald DeLia is a private investigator. Anthony Gentilucci was an HP security manager. The project eventually identified HP board member George Keyworth II as the source.

The team commenced the investigation by conducting a detailed review of the article. It attributes the following to the source: “By the time the lectures were done at 10 p.m., we were pooped and went to bed.”

Use of the term “lectures.” This is an academic term, rarely used in the business environment. Keyworth is the only board member with an academic background.

“We were pooped.” This is an unusual term. A number of witnesses indicated that Keyworth often uses colloquial terms in conversation.

The content of the Kawamoto articles indicates that Keyworth is most likely the source.

INVESTIGATION ACTIVITY UPDATE:

Contact established covertly with Dawn Kawamoto via a nontraceable Hotmail email account.

Pretrash inspection is in progress for key subjects of the investigation.

Feasibility studies are in progress for undercover operations (clerical, cleaning company employees) in CNET and WSJ offices.

FROM: KEVIN HUNSAKER

Hi guys, If/when we put the tracer in an email to the reporter, is there any chance it will be discovered? Is it something a firewall could pick up, or antivirus software? Would it make it through HP’s security and get to, say, my email? If CNET knows something like that was sent to them, we could end up with some seriously bad publicity.

FROM: RON DELIA

Team, Surveillance teams were in place from 9 a.m. to noon, and no activity was observed at either residence. It appears DK has not returned from vacation. We waited in the event the family was sleeping in. However, by noon the newspapers were not picked up from the driveway. A pretext call to the residence was not answered. Surveillance activity at GK’s residence revealed no movement as well.

FROM: KEVIN HUNSAKER TO: ANTHONY GENTILUCCI

Hi, Tony. How does Ron get cell and home phone records? Is it all aboveboard?

FROM: ANTHONY GENTILUCCI TO: KEVIN HUNSAKER

The methodology utilized is social engineering. Investigators call operators under some ruse to obtain the call record over the phone. The operator shouldn’t give it out, and that person is liable in a sense. I think it’s on the edge, but aboveboard.

FROM: KEVIN HUNSAKER TO: ANTHONY GENTILUCCI

I shouldn’t have asked.

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SEE ALSO: Corporations; Electronic surveillance; Hunsaker, Kevin; Leaks (Disclosure of information); Dunn, Patricia; Trials, litigation, etc.

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