Stanford Employee To Stand Trial for Revenge Porn

A Stanford University employee unlawfully accessed computer systems, obtained intellectual property, and threatened to release the data if the computer owner didn't pay her, according to a complaint filed with California Superior Court. Alana Pague, 32, of Mountain View, California, a Clinical Cancer Trials research coordinator, was served with the unlimited civil lawsuit at her workplace. Recently filed court documents indicate that Pague has invoked her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination and is refusing to provide documents or testimony under oath.

According to one of the plaintiffs, Pague admitted to the Mountain View Police Department that she had private photographs or videos of the plaintiffs, which were obtained without their permission, and that Pague had threatened to send them to the family and friends of one of the plaintiffs. The police report shows that a domestic dispute complaint was filed against Pague by one of the plaintiffs, a former romantic partner, who alleges that Pague had threatened them with a knife and that they asked for Pague's arrest because they feared for the personal safety of their family. The police report indicates that an officer did speak to Pague about the allegations, but it does not show that Pague was arrested at that time. Three days after this report was made, Pague stole the plaintiff's car and abducted their child, according to the lawsuit. The case was then referred to the Santa Clara District Attorney's Office, handled by Deputy District Attorney James Cahan, and the child was returned unharmed.

It's unclear why Pague hasn't been charged for any of these crimes. Cindy Hendrickson, the Assistant District Attorney who reviewed and rejected these cases, has not made any public statements about the criminal investigation, despite being aggressively questioned on social media. Hendrickson is a candidate in the June 5th recall election against Judge Aaron Persky, who was widely criticized for sentencing ex-Stanford swimmer Brock Turner to 6 months in jail for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman behind a dumpster. One of Pague's victims questions Hendrickson's campaign claim of "Justice For All", pointing out that both Persky and Hendrickson have shown uncommon leniency when dealing with violent offenders from Stanford.

The plaintiffs are seeking from the Court a no-contact order against the defendants, the return of any unlawfully obtained images, and unspecified damages. If you want to support the plaintiffs, who are victims of this unimaginable invasion of privacy — one of whom is a single parent of a special needs child — you can donate to them here: https://www.gofundme.com/RevengePornLawsuit