California Nears Criminal Charges at H-P

"Crimes have been committed. People's identities were taken falsely, and it's a crime," Lockyear was quoted as saying. "People accessed computer records that have personal information. That's a crime."

Among the H-P insiders who could get embroiled in the criminal case are chairwoman Patricia Dunn, who initiated the investigation and said yesterday she would relinquish her post in January. Ann Baskins, the company's top lawyer could also be at risk, since H-P's legal department may have had a role overseeing the ill-fated investigation into media leaks.

Shares of H-P were off 1.7%, or 62 cents, at 36.30 in late trading Wednesday.