The Harvey Weinstein scandal has outed a shadowy corporate spy firm and its Israeli actress agent


Without the Harvey Weinstein sexual assault and harassment scandal, few people would have ever heard of Black Cube, a private investigation firm founded in 2010 that advertises itself as "a select group of veterans from the Israeli elite intelligence units that specializes in tailored solutions to complex business and litigation challenges."
But 10 days ago, The New Yorker reported that Weinstein had hired Black Cube to unearth information about actress Rose McGowan, who was writing a book in which she alleges Weinstein sexually assaulted her, and reporter Ben Wallace. McGowan and Wallace identified the same woman, a Black Cube agent, who had used false identities and pretenses to approach them.
Last week, surveillance video of the agent posted by The Wall Street Journal alerted Canadian hedge fund West Face that Black Cube was trying to get information from its employees through an elaborate ruse centered in London, and then Britain's Daily Mail identified the woman in both operations, plus another involving New York insurance firm AmTrust, as Stella Penn Pechanac, an Israeli former air force lieutenant, music video actress, and Black Cube undercover agent.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Lots of companies and law firms hire investigators to collect information on adversaries or other targets, "but experts in the field say Black Cube's tactics are more aggressive than most," The Wall Street Journal says, and Pechanac's outing in particular offers "a rare view into a dark corner of corporate espionage." Now that her cover is blown, Pechanac's performance had gotten mixed reviews. McGowan was taken in, but in court filings Wednesday, West Face employees pointed to mistakes she made. Wallace had the deepest cut, telling the Journal, "It makes sense she went into private investigating, not acting, because I found her acting skills not stellar."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Samsung to make Tesla chips in $16.5B deal
Speed Read Tesla has signed a deal to get its next-generation chips from Samsung
-
FCC greenlights $8B Paramount-Skydance merger
Speed Read The Federal Communications Commission will allow Paramount to merge with the Hollywood studio Skydance
-
Tesla reports plummeting profits
Speed Read The company may soon face more problems with the expiration of federal electric vehicle tax credits
-
Dollar faces historic slump as stocks hit new high
Speed Read While stocks have recovered post-Trump tariffs, the dollar has weakened more than 10% this year
-
Economists fear US inflation data less reliable
speed read The Labor Department is collecting less data for its consumer price index due to staffing shortages
-
Crypto firm Coinbase hacked, faces SEC scrutiny
Speed Read The Securities and Exchange Commission has also been investigating whether Coinbase misstated its user numbers in past disclosures
-
Starbucks baristas strike over dress code
speed read The new uniform 'puts the burden on baristas' to buy new clothes, said a Starbucks Workers United union delegate
-
Warren Buffet announces surprise retirement
speed read At the annual meeting of Berkshire Hathaway, the billionaire investor named Vice Chairman Greg Abel his replacement