NEW YORK — Ken Kurson, the former editor-in-chief of the New York Observer and close pal of Jared Kushner, quietly pleaded guilty on Wednesday to the same cyberstalking conduct that former President Donald Trump pardoned him of during his last hours in office.
Kurson, 53, appeared in Manhattan Supreme Court about 9 a.m. to cop to attempted computer trespass and attempted eavesdropping, downgraded state misdemeanor charges. The charges stem from a felony indictment alleging he harassed and spied on his wife when they divorced between September and November in 2015.
If Kurson leads a law-abiding life for one year, Manhattan Judge Josh Hanshaft said he would vacate the misdemeanors, leaving him with a violation of harassment, which is not a criminal record.
The Trump family friend admitted to carrying out the conduct via the Observer’s W. 44th St. newsroom in Midtown. Kushner owned the paper when he hired Kurson to run it in 2013.
Wearing a black sweater, a light blue patterned shirt, tan trainers and a cloth surgical mask, Kurson sat in the gallery’s third row with his head between his hands before his case was called.
Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn first charged Kurson in an October 2020 indictment after a two-year investigation prompted when Trump appointed him to the National Endowment for the Humanities board. The nomination came with a background check that tipped off authorities.
The Brooklyn indictment accused Kurson of stalking and harassing three other people he blamed for his divorce. It said he slandered his victims online under different aliases and visited their places of work, where he took photos and inquired about their schedules.
Trump pardoned Kurson of the disturbing conduct during his final moments in office.
When former Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance revived the case in August 2021 the state charges were narrower in scope but focused on the same period.
The Manhattan indictment charged Kurson with installing spyware software on his ex’s computer and leaking private messages from her Gmail and Facebook accounts when they were still living together.
Kurson’s attorney Marc Mukasey did not immediately comment.
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