An active-duty Marine is facing charges of cyberstalking multiple young women in California as part of a “sextortion” campaign.
Johao Miguel Chavarri was arrested in Oceanside, Calif., Tuesday. Mr. Chavarri is stationed at Camp Pendleton as a member of the U.S. Marine Corps.
According to the criminal complaint filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Mr. Chavarri used several online accounts under the name “Michael Frito” to continually stalk, harass, and threaten women who did not comply with his demands to send sexually explicit photos or videos of themselves.
In some instances, the 25-year-old allegedly demanded that the women respond to him and communicate with him online. According to the complaint, Mr. Chavarri often threatened to publish explicit photos on pornography websites or send them to victims’ friends and families — whom he would identify by name.
He also allegedly created fake social media accounts with the victims’ names to harass their friends and family members.
Mr. Chavarri allegedly sent a message on Instagram to multiple victims saying that he would spend his “whole life ruining” their lives.
The cyberstalking and harassment continued for over a year, according to the complaint. If convicted, Mr. Chavarri faces up to five years in federal prison.