A Maryland man was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for cyberstalking a Southern Ohio woman. The creep made sexually explicit threats and even encouraged a victim to kill herself. This only goes to show that while people think they’re anonymous online, law enforcement will eventually catch up to you. It’s a sick and twisted case. Let’s break it down.
The Stalker
According to court records, Vincent Brocoli, 33, of Essex, Maryland, stalked a Southern Ohio woman and her family for three long years.
He used multiple names online, including:
- Matthew Dehart
- BunchMedia
- BunchMarketing
Threats and Fake Accounts
Brocoli created social media accounts in the names of his victim and her family members. Among the handles he used for the fake accounts:
- @xokirstylies1
- @xokirstyslut1
- @killyourselfkirsty
You’ll notice he worked in “Kirsty Lies”, “Kirsty Slut”0, and most disturbingly, “Kill Yourself Kristy.” According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio, “The defendant used the Internet to post photos of the victim with a cross on her forehead and send messages like “I hope you get cancer and die UGLY SLLUT [sic],” and “Go away and die. Just put a gun in your mouth and get it over with.”
He also posted vile messages that called his victim a “worthless lying slut” and a “whore.” Brocoli publicly claimed his victim and her husband had AIDS and called her a “diseased whorebag.”
Impersonating Parents
Brocoli created fake accounts to pose as his victim’s father and mother. He created multiple Instagram and Twitter handles in their names.
He publicly called his victim’s mother a pedophile and said she should be arrested for child abuse. Additionally, he told the woman to “Shut up and die.”
He told his victim’s father he would “be the first to go to hell and answer to the real God when the time comes.”
The Sentence
The U.S. Attorney indicted Brocoli , He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 30 months in prison. Cyberstalking is a federal crime with a sentence of up to five years in prison.
What Is Cyberstalking?
Cyberstalking is a federal crime. That means it doesn’t matter if the stalker lives in one legal jurisdiction and the victim somewhere else.
Under the law, it is illegal to use “any interactive computer service or electronic communication service” to conduct an activity that places a person “in reasonable fear” of death or serious bodily injury, or that causes or could cause “substantial emotional distress.”
The sentence is up to five years in prison or a fine of $250,000. If a victim dies as a result of cyberstalking, the stalker faces a life sentence.
