A Los Angeles lawyer has been charged with attempting to hack into the personal emails and phone accounts of a state judge, as part of an ongoing investigation into a scandal involving the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (DWP). According to disciplinary charges filed on Thursday in the California State Bar Court, Michael Libman conspired with another attorney, Paul Paradis, to hire Israeli hackers with the goal of infiltrating the personal communications of Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Elihu M. Berle and attorney Brian Kabateck.
Libman and Paradis’s actions date back to 2020, with the alleged intent being to obstruct and influence ongoing legal proceedings related to the DWP scandal, which has been described as a “fraud on the court.” The disciplinary filing underscores the serious nature of these charges and their implications for the integrity of the judicial process.
Libman has fervently denied any association with Israeli military intelligence or hackers. This case forms part of a larger web of allegations involving high-profile legal professionals and the U.S.’s largest municipal utility, placing additional scrutiny on legal practices within the region. The intricate details of these charges reveal the lengths to which some individuals might go to manipulate and disrupt judicial processes for personal or client gain.