Graduate student charged with cyberstalking, extorting Mass. woman over Instagram
“Sweetheart I have hundreds of vids and thousands of pictures meticulously categorized by name.”
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BOSTON (AP) — A University of Georgia graduate student was arrested Friday and charged with extorting a Massachusetts woman for videos, photographs and communications of a sexual nature and cyberstalking her for more than a year.
Investigators said Gary E. Leach, 23, of Athens, Georgia, obtained private video calls and photographs of a sexual nature from the victim beginning in October 2019 through false promises of payment and surreptitiously recorded the victim during these calls.
Leach allegedly threatened to share the recordings with the victim’s family if she did not continue to send him content of a sexual nature over Instagram, and repeatedly extorted the victim for “additional interactions of a sexually explicit and degrading nature,” investigators said.
Leach was charged with one count of cyberstalking and one count of extortion through interstate threats and was scheduled to appear in federal court in Georgia on Friday.
Investigators allege Leach used anonymous Instagram accounts to harass the victim, including accounts featuring nicknames for the victim and variations of the username “u.kno_who.”
While communicating with the victim, investigators said, Leach allegedly indicated he engaged in similar conduct with other Instagram users, telling her in one message: “Sweetheart I have hundreds of vids and thousands of pictures meticulously categorized by name.”
Leach allegedly told the victim that some of these women also did not know that they had been recorded.
The charge of stalking by electronic means provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000.
The charge of extortion by interstate threat of injury to reputation provides for a sentence of up to two years in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of $250,000.
Investigators said anyone who believes they may have also been a victim can visit the United States Attorney’s Office website to find out how to report the incident.
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