After last year's Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ) board room spying scandal, I'll bet the company -- now the largest tech company in the world -- is ready to put the mess behind it. HP moved closer to the wish this past week, as a California judge dismissed misdemeanor fraud charges against HP's chief ethics officer and two private investigators who took part in boardroom leak spying activity.

Since all three men performed 96 hours of community service, the charges were dropped, bringing an end to the State of California's criminal case against the computer and printer maker. Earlier this year, former HP chairwoman Patty Dunn had all the charges against her dismissed by the same judge as well. Although nothing really came from California's criminal case, it did focus the public's attention on the HP boardroom scandal. My guess is that the prosecutors wanted that and only that. They succeeded.

So, at least from the State if California's point of view, the HP pretexting and spying scandal is no more.The charges are over with and so are the state's efforts. Was it worth it? Depends on who you ask, and although the monetary or other means of collecting some form of damages apparently was not the state's motive, it did bring the needed attention to the case. Lesson to be learned (as if we didn't know already): don't spy on the board members of your own company.

Hewlett-Packard's ongoing corporate spying scandal continues to reach new highs (and lows). Last week brought many former execs "taking the fifth" and former Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE:HPQ) Chairwoman Patty Dunn and current HP CEO Mark Hurd taking the stand on Capitol Hill in some down-to-earth but brazen performances.

Hurd's approach reflected his personality -- a no-nonsense businessman who is an operational geek to the hilt and who takes full responsibility for HP and all incoming data traffic that lands on his virtual desk. What about Patty Dunn, though -- she's already resigned from HP's board. Not so fast.

Dunn and others are set to be indicted on unknown charges by California Attorney General Bill Lockyer. In information learned by the folks over at BusinessWeek, Lockyer is sending out neat little indictment packages to Dunn, former HP business conduct head Kevin Hunsacker and possibly others as well. Update: Dunn chose to surrender at a Silicon Valley courthouse on October 5, and will be arraigned November 17.

These new charges filed by Lockyer are being filed in obvious connection to the ongoing scandal at HP (been in a remote cabin in Montana for the past month?). HP hired investigators, who ended up lying to several parties in order to obtain the personal phone records of HP directors and staff -- including external journalists -- to assist in the tracking of leak sources to various pieces of the press, even plotting to plant spies at the WSJ.) Story at 11? Nope -- story all over the place.