HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A Colorado man found guilty of cyberstalking his ex-girlfriend and her former partners while he was living in Hawaii has been sentenced to prison, the United States Attorney’s Office announced on Monday.
Authorities said 54-year-old John B. Hart, of Louisville, Colorado was sentenced to over eight years in prison for cyberstalking and obstruction of justice offenses committed in Hawaii.
According to court documents, while living in Hawaii, Hart engaged in a cyberstalking campaign from May 2022 to August 2022 to harass and intimidate his former girlfriend. He also harassed her former partners.
The former Hawaii resident used multiple “burner apps” to generate dozens of fake phone numbers and hide his identity.
In his plea agreement, Hart admitted to posing at his ex-girlfriend’s former partner and committing violent acts, including sending threatening messages to his ex-girlfriend and her family that implied threats to kill, kidnap, rape and injure her and spray-painting her vehicle and placing metal spikes near her tires outside her work.
To deflect the idea of impersonation, he even repeatedly targeted himself while posing as his ex-girlfriend’s former partner.
Hart even tried to impersonate his ex-girlfriend by sending sex toys to her other partner’s residence and pretending to be her on online dating apps.
After being questioned by federal agents, authorities said Hart deleted one of his personal email accounts in attempt to obstruct the investigation.
Authorities arrested Hart in April 2023 in Colorado. He pleaded guilty on April 12.
“John Hart engaged in a relentless cybercampaign to harass and terrorize his ex-girlfriend and others in her life, masking his own identity and attempting to frame an innocent man in the process,” said United States Attorney Clare E. Connors. “Today’s sentence represents justice for Hart’s victims and will help deter others who might seek to hide behind the perceived anonymity of the internet to target their victims.”
Following his prison sentence, Hart will have three years of supervised release.
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Publish date : 2024-09-10 04:21:00
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