City IT admin reads Hoboken mayor's email to ensure techie’s job is secure

Former IT administrator of Hoboken, New Jersey, poked around email accounts to spy on the city’s controversial mayor, Dawn Zimmer, and other staff.

The snooping by disgraced admin Patrick Ricciardi "was one manifestation of how the mayor's office suffered from bitterly divided political factions."

Zimmer assumed the mayorship in 2009 after winning a special election to replace Peter Cammarano, who was arrested on federal corruption charges.

Many remaining officials had strong ties to Cammarano's administration or were otherwise opposed to Zimmer. The tension between the two factions, which was reflected in leaks of confidential information, prompted Zimmer’s office to initiate a security audit.

"The audit turned up an archive, located on Ricciardi's computer, of all emails sent to or received by Zimmer's account.” Ricciardi admitted that he "intercepted the email so that he could spy on the Mayor and her employees, he said, and determine whether his job was secure."