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The founder of a US-based spyware company whose surveillance products allowed agents to spy on the phones and computers of unsuspecting victims has pleaded guilty to federal charges linked to his long-running operation.
pcTattletale founder Brian Fleming pleaded guilty in federal court in San Diego on Tuesday to charges of computer hacking, selling and advertising surveillance software for illegal uses, and conspiracy.
The petition comes after a multi-year investigation by agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), a unit within U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. HSI began investigating pcTattletale in mid-2021 as part of a broader investigation into the consumer surveillance software industry, also known as “Stalking programs“.
This is the first successful US federal prosecution of a stalkerware operator in more than a decade, following the 2014 indictment and subsequent guilty plea of the stalkerware creator. A phone monitoring app called StealthGenie. Fleming’s conviction could pave the way for further federal investigations and prosecutions against those who operate spyware, but also against those who simply advertise and sell secret surveillance software.
HSI said pcTattletale is one of several stalkerware websites under investigation.
An ICE spokesperson did not immediately comment when contacted by TechCrunch, nor did a representative of the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California, which brought the charges against Fleming.
Fleming’s attorney, Marcos Bourassa, did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
pcTattletale was a remote monitoring application that had been under Fleming’s control since at least 2016. Stalkerware apps like pcTattletale allow ordinary consumers to purchase software capable of tracking people and their data without their knowledge. Including romantic partners and spouseswhich is illegal in the United States and many other countries.
Once physically planted on someone’s phone or computer (usually with knowledge of the victim’s passcode or login), the app continually uploads a copy of the victim’s information, including messages, photos and location data, to pcTattletale’s servers and provides access to the data to whoever planted the spyware.
Fleming Close pcTattletale In 2024 after a data breach, which saw a Hackers deface a company’s website and steal large amounts of data From its servers, including identifying information about its customers and their victims. Their compromised information was shared with over 138,000 customers who signed up to use pcTattletale Have I Been Pwned Data Breach Notifications Site.
At the time, Fleming told TechCrunch that his company had “got out of business and gone completely,” after the contents of pcTattletale’s servers were deleted.
Despite the shutdown, federal agents had come a long way in their investigation into Fleming’s illegal spyware business.
The feds are looking for a $1.2 million established home
HSI began investigating pcTattletale in June 2021 after finding more than a hundred stalkerware websites offering surveillance products, many of which advertised legal uses for the software, such as monitoring children or employees.
pcTattletale rose to prominence because it was specifically advertising its spyware to “surreptitiously spy on spouses and partners,” as HSI Special Agent Nick Jones wrote in Approval 2022 To support a warrant to search Fleming’s home. The affidavit was unsealed in early December 2025 ahead of Fleming’s expected plea hearing.
Crucially for investigators, Fleming is believed to have been running pcTattletale from his home in Bruce Township, Michigan, and is accessible to US law enforcement — unlike many offshore stalkerware operators who are not.
Unlike some stalkerware operators who protect their identities to avoid the legal and reputational risks of working with spyware, Fleming was bold in the way he announced pcTattletale. in Videos posted On YouTube, Fleming can be seen at home promoting pcTattletale as its creator and founder.
According to the affidavit, HSI obtained a warrant in 2022 authorizing the search of Fleming’s email accounts. HSI said the emails showed that Fleming “intentionally assisted agents seeking to spy on consenting non-employee adults.”
Federal agents later staked out Fleming’s home to confirm that it was in fact him.
Jones also went undercover to collect evidence, posing as an affiliate marketer under the guise of promoting spyware in exchange for a cut of the proceeds. As a result of this operation, Jones exchanged emails with Fleming, in which the pcTattletale founder provided custom images of advertisements promoting spyware as a way to “catch a cheater,” making it clear that Fleming wanted to market his product for illegal purposes.
By November 2022, HSI obtained permission from a US judge to search Fleming’s home, which agents raided shortly after, seizing an unknown number of items. Agents also obtained records linked to Fleming’s bank and PayPal account, which had transactions totaling more than $600,000 through the end of 2021.
The search warrant was served under seal amid concerns that Fleming might destroy or tamper with evidence. Fleming has since sold the house for $1.2 million. For all public records.
Fleming’s conviction is a win for privacy advocates and activists working to combat the spread of stalkerware and raise awareness of its dangers.
Eva Galperin, director of cybersecurity at the Electronic Frontier Foundation and co-founder of the Coalition Against Stalkerware, which has investigated and combated stalkerware for years, commented on Fleming’s guilty plea when reached by TechCrunch.
“One of the most surprising aspects of this case is the extent to which stalkerware companies like pcTattletale operate in the open,” Galperin said. “This is because the people behind these companies rarely face consequences for selling tools that they themselves say are expressly intended to monitor other people’s devices without their knowledge or consent.”
“I hope this case changes the risk calculations for stalkerware makers,” Galperin said.
Fleming is expected to be sentenced later this year.
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If you or someone you know needs help, the National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-7233) provides free, confidential, 24/7 support for victims of domestic abuse and violence. If you are in an emergency, call 911 Alliance Against Stalkerware It has resources if you think your phone has been compromised by spyware.