pcTattletale Founder Bryan Fleming Pleads Guilty to Federal Stalkerware Charges
pcTattletale founder Bryan Fleming pleaded guilty to federal hacking charges. This landmark case is the first stalkerware prosecution in the U.S. in over a decade.
He promised to help users "catch a cheater," but it was the federal agents who ultimately caught him. On January 6, 2026, Bryan Fleming, the founder of the notorious spyware company pcTattletale, pleaded guilty in a San Diego federal court to charges of computer hacking and the unlawful sale of surveillance software. This marks the first successful U.S. federal prosecution of a stalkerware operator in over 10 years.
The Investigation and pcTattletale Founder Bryan Fleming Guilty Plea
According to court documents and reports from TechCrunch, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) began tracking Fleming in 2021. Unlike many spyware operators who hide behind international borders, Fleming brazenly operated from his home in Michigan, even appearing in YouTube videos to promote his product. pcTattletale functioned by covertly monitoring victims' devices, uploading messages, photos, and location data to its servers.
Undercover HSI agents played a crucial role, posing as affiliate marketers to gather evidence of Fleming's intent to sell the software for illegal surveillance of non-consenting adults. Financial records revealed that Fleming's PayPal account had processed more than $600,000 by the end of 2021.
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