LONDON, Jan. 29 (UPI) -- Matthew Mellon, heir to a 6.6 billion pound ($11.2 billion) banking and oil fortune, is due in a British court next month as a criminal defendant.
Mellon's appearance is in connection with an investigation into an alleged phone-tapping and computer hacking gang, the Sunday Times of London reports.
The former husband of Tamara Mellon, who runs the Jimmy Choo shoe empire, will appear alongside 17 other defendants accused of involvement in the operation, which allegedly provided clients with confidential information about wealthy people and businesses.
Acting on a tip, Scotland Yard has conducted a long investigation into a private detective agency run by a former policeman which it believed was bugging phone calls.
Allegedly, the group was also hacking into National Health Service computers to access confidential medical files to blackmail people, and spying on police and bugging their phone calls to get information. There have also been several charges of falsifying invoices.
Mellon, who lives in Belgravia, London, is charged with conspiracy to cause unauthorized modification of computer material.
