pcTattletale Founder Bryan Fleming Pleads Guilty in Federal Stalkerware Case

Bryan Fleming, founder of pcTattletale, pleads guilty in a landmark federal spying case. Read how an undercover HSI sting and a data breach ended a decade of illegal stalkerware sales.

A decade-long run of selling illegal stalkerware has come to an end for Bryan Fleming, the founder of the Michigan-based company pcTattletale. On Tuesday, January 7, 2026, Fleming entered a guilty plea in a San Diego federal court, admitting to charges of computer hacking and the illegal advertising of surveillance devices.

This marks the first successful federal prosecution of a stalkerware operator in the United States since 2014, when the creator of another surveillance app, StealthGenie, was similarly charged.

How the Stalkerware Worked

For your information, stalkerware is a hidden app installed on a phone or computer without the owner’s permission. It runs quietly in the background to monitor a partner or spouse, making it nearly impossible for a ...