HP leak probe scandal: Ex-chairman in court

Patricia Dunn, the former HP chairman at the centre of a corporate espionage scandal, surrendered to authorities on Thursday, a day after being charged with four felonies.

Dunn appeared in Santa Clara County Superior Court and was ordered to appear for her arraignment on 17 November. She was released on her own recognisance after agreeing to go directly to the local sheriff's department to be booked. During the five-minute hearing, she said one word, "yes", after Judge Alfonso Fernandez asked her whether she agreed to the terms of her release.

Weeks after being inducted into a hall of fame for standout businesspeople in the San Francisco Bay Area, Dunn was booked on charges of fraudulent wire communication, wrongful use of computer data, identity theft and conspiracy to commit those crimes, a deputy sheriff confirmed.

Dunn quietly walked past reporters on the way to a waiting limousine without answering questions. She smiled briefly when a bystander asked her to sign a newspaper with her photograph on the cover.

In addition to Dunn, four others are charged with the same crimes: Kevin T Hunsaker, HP's former senior lawyer; Ronald DeLia, a private detective; Matthew DePante of data-brokering company Action Research Group; and Bryan Wagner, a Colorado man believed to have been an employee of Action Research, according to the criminal filing in Santa Clara County Superior Court.

Dunn, who a week ago explained her role in HP's spying campaign to a congressional committee, has acknowledged mistakes were made in the company's attempt to locate the source of a boardroom leak to the media. But she has also refused to take personal responsibility for any criminal wrongdoing.

California attorney general Bill Lockyer's office said the other defendants, with the exception of DePante, have also agreed to surrender.

The attorney general's office has yet to contact DePante's lawyers, Bob Anderson, California's chief deputy attorney for legal affairs, said during a press conference on Wednesday.

Greg Sandoval writes for CNET News.com