State appeals court says ignorance no defense in wiretapping

[Declan McCullagh]

http://www.sunspot.net/news/printedition/bal-ar.deibler18jul18.story?coll=bal-pe-arundel
2001-07-18 05:35:39


Court boosts taping laws

Appeals judges say ignorance no defense in wiretapping cases; 'Willfully' is
key word; Decision stems from surveillance of Edgewater home

By Andrea F. Siegel
Sun Staff
July 18, 2001
In a decision that will benefit prosecutors, the state's highest court
ruled yesterday that a person need not know it is illegal to bug
conversations to be convicted of wiretapping. The 5-2 Court of Appeals
opinion sets aside what had been the prevailing interpretation, in
which the lower appellate court said a person who violates the state
wiretapping law must know that what he did was illegal. The standard
in yesterday's ruling says a defendant can be convicted if the wiretap
was done on purpose, not inadvertently.
...