Ex-wife of former Pacific Grove police commander changes plea in federal court

UPDATE: 11/13/14: The ex-wife of a former Pacific Grove police commander changed her initial plea to federal charges and on Monday pleaded guilty to wiretapping charges.

To read the full FBI release, click here: http://www.fbi.gov/sanfrancisco/press-releases/2014/california-resident-pleads-guilty-to-wiretapping-law-enforcement-communications-and-others

11/04/14: The ex-wife of a former Pacific Grove police commander has pleaded not guilty to federal charges but a plea agreement may be in the works.

Kristin Nyunt, 40, pleaded not guilty to charges of illegal wiretapping and the possession of illegal interception devices in federal court in San Jose Monday. She’s due back in court on Nov. 10 for what is scheduled as a change of plea hearing.

Nyunt is being represented by Salinas-based attorney Angela Johnson.

The federal charges stem from a widespread identity theft scheme that prosecutors allege Nyunt perpetrated with assistance from her then-husband, John Nyunt.

Federal prosecutors have accused her of intercepting sensitive law enforcement communications between 2010 and 2012 using special “spy software.”

Kristin Nyunt also faced charges in Monterey County in connection with the identity theft. She was sentenced in September to eight years in state prison.

Her former husband also was charged with federal and state charges for what prosecutors said was aiding and abetting the identity fraud. He is currently serving a three-year prison sentence.