Greitens Charged With (Another) Felony: Computer Tampering

ST. LOUIS, MO — Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens has been indicted on two counts of felony computer tampering, a court announced Friday. The state's attorney general, Republican Josh Hawley, said earlier this week that he had uncovered evidence of a crime in Greitens' use of a charity donor list to raise money for his gubernatorial campaign.

“St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner reviewed the evidence turned over to her by my office and determined that there is probable cause to file criminal charges against the Governor," Hawley said in a statement. The [Attorney General's] Office stands ready to assist the Circuit Attorney’s Office where appropriate and if needed. These are serious charges — and an important reminder that no one is above the law in Missouri. Like all criminal defendants, Governor Greitens is presumed innocent under the law until proven guilty."

The governor was also indicted in February for invasion of privacy, after a woman accused him of taking a non-consensual, partially-naked photo and threatening to blackmail her with its release. The hair dresser has been called the governor's mistress, but testimony released by a House Special Investigative Committee last week calls into question whether their relationship was consensual.

The governor admitted to an affair in January, calling it a "deeply personal mistake" in a joint statement with his wife. But he denied doing anything illegal, instead blaming a "reckless liberal prosecutor" for the case against him.

While less salacious than other charges leveled against the governor, felony invasion of privacy nevertheless carries a stiff sentence. The Associated Press first reported in 2016 that Greitens used connections he made during his time running a charity called "The Mission Continues" to compile a donor list for his run for statewide office. Nearly $2 million in contributions to Greitens gubernatorial run came from donors who had also given significant amounts to his charity organization, according to financial records examined by the AP.

Greitens filed a restraining order against Hawley, who has been a vocal critic of the governor, Wednesday.

Dozens of Missouri lawmakers, Democrat and Republican alike, have called on the governor to resign. Greitens wrote on Twitter Tuesday that he has no intention of doing so.

I will not be resigning the Governor's office. In three weeks, this matter will go to a court of law—where it belongs and where the facts will prove my innocence. Until then, I will do what the people of Missouri sent me here to do: to serve them and work hard on their behalf.
— Eric Greitens (@EricGreitens) April 18, 2018

The Associated Press contributed to this reporting.

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