She had already been axed for another issue and he has now been fired after authorities raided his home and confiscated his computer. His attorney essentially admittted that he was guilty. "My client will take responsibility for his actions" is the exact phrase.
How pathetic is this? I have known ex-colleagues from long ago who bragged about peeking into others' paycheque envelopes or reading their confidential memos. I simply cannot imagine wanting to do such a thing. To what end? It sounds like the act of a truly desperate person who's insecure about his or her own value. Taking down someone else to make yourself look better comes from poor self worth, bottom line.
One particulary unpleasant colleague with whom I had the misfortune to work many years ago seemed to be unable to accept when things didn't go his way. He had a firm idea of how I should conduct my day, even after our show was over, and that concept contradicted mine. So he decided to try to teach me a lesson. On my own time, I chose to cover an important national news conference and came back to the station with all sorts of one on one interview tape to show for my efforts. He destroyed the tape! He rendered my time spent gathering it, useless. The message was clear: Do things my way or it won't pay!
The hacking anchor in Philly is facing a possible six months in jail. Instead of boosting his career, he ruined it. I don't know what prevents such a person from looking down the road at the potential outcome of their actions - believing they're too smart to get caught, perhaps? Now he knows he's not smart enough.