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Man’s Cop-Mistress Hacked Wife’s Phone, She Says

SAN DIEGO (CN) - Verizon helped a San Diego police officer's mistress - also a cop - hack into his estranged wife's cellphone and get confidential information about her, the wife claims in court.

Gioconda Hychko sued San Diego, Verizon, and her husband's alleged mistress, San Diego police Officer Stephanie Audette, on Feb. 19 in Superior Court. She did not sue her husband, whose name does not appear in the lawsuit.

Hychko claims her husband and Audette, co-workers, "became involved in a relationship" in January 2013. When Hychko became aware of the affair that April, she says, she logged onto her Verizon account to block Audette from calling her cellphone. Hychko says her cellphone had two lines, one for her and one for her husband

Audette is a former Verizon employee and maintained contact with an unnamed employee who helped her hack into Hychko's account without her consent, according to the lawsuit.

Audette thereby got access to confidential information such as Hychko's Social Security number and home address, she says.

Hychko says she learned of the hacking from transcripts in an administrative case the police department brought against her husband for his relationship with Audette.

During the police department's internal investigation, Audette admitted hacking into Hychko's phone account without her permission, according to the complaint.

Hychko says she did not see the transcripts until August 2015, though the hearing was conducted in the summer of 2013, and police management officials were aware of Audette's conduct as early as July 2013.

By failing to take action against Audette, Hychko says, the police department "condoned and ratified" her conduct.

She seeks punitive damages for privacy invasion, constitutional violations, intentional infliction of emotional distress, unfair trade, and computer crime.

The City Attorney's Office and Verizon Wireless did not reply to emailed requests for comment.

Hychko is represented by Brandi Harper with Castillo Harper in Ontario, who did not reply to a telephone message seeking comment.

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