A software executive's private affair has taken a very public turn after his jilted mistress paid for images of the clandestine couple to be displayed on posters and billboards in some of America's busiest cities.
Charles Phillips, a co-president of software maker Oracle, has acknowledged the affair which is saidto have lasted for almost nine years before he decided to attempt a reconciliation with his wife.
The New York Daily News reports that Phillips' wife, Karen, filed for divorce in June 2008, but no further action has been taken.
"I had an 8 1/2 year serious relationship with YaVaughnie Wilkins," Phillips said in a statement released on Friday. "My divorce proceedings began in 2008. The relationship with Ms. Wilkins has since ended and we both wish each other well."
It is believed that Wilkins, 42, was unaware of Phillips' marriage and that she believed that she had been in a monogamous relationship with him. The New York Post reports that upon learning of the deception, Wilkins rounded up $US250,000 and took her revenge.
The billboards included a three-storey high display in New York's Times Square which has since been taken down. Other billboards were erected in Atlanta and in San Franciso, where Oracle is based.
A website set up by Wilkins is currently inactive. It reportedly hosts more than 1200 photos of the couple together, as well as 65 karaoke tracks and 35 articles written by Wilkins.
Phillips, 50, is a member of President Barack Obama's Economic Recovery Advisory Board.
