Adam Savader, a 21-year-old science student from the State University of New York Farmingdale and a former Republican Party campaign intern, was arrested late last month and charged with internet extortion and cyber stalking 15 young women.
Authorities said that between May 2012 and February, Savader, posing as 'John Smith', sent anonymous threatening text messages to young women saying that he had nude photographs of them and will share them with friends and family members unless they sent him some more photos.
In addition to the photographs, Savader used to pester them by asking several personal and inappropriate questions.
One of the victims from Ann Arbor complained to Michigan police last September after she received threatening text messages from Smith. Federal prosecutors said that one of the text messages directed her to the photo-sharing site 'Photobucket', where she saw naked pictures of herself that she had saved in a personal folder and never shared with anyone.
Savader obtained her nude pictures by hacking into her AOL account, where she had previously uploaded them.
Another young woman was also threatened in a similar way. Posing as 'the person with the nude photos of you,' Savader said that he would release nude pictures of her to the Republican National Committee, her parents and her sorority if she did not send him more nude photos of herself.
The victim alleged that she received more than 80 text messages from Savader from September through the end of 2012.
Savader also blackmailed some of his high school and college classmates.
In one instance, he threatened a young woman with a picture of her kissing her younger sister at a high school party at the age of 16. The young woman wasn't even aware of the picture.
Savader also made numerous sexually explicit comments like, " Want ur family and everyone to see ur t**s? just agree to email me a pic of u in a bra."
Demanding more nude photos, he wrote: "Do it from ur phoe RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!! I swear to god don't be stupid. U don't want every1 (sic) including your parents seeing your ***,***and *****. Accept it now!! This is what I will send ur mom with the pics unless u accept now "thought u would want to see these pics of your baby girl. They're very revealing. About to send them to every1 so she is a star."
"WAIT!" Savader allegedly texted one victim. "Listen to me. If we don't have a deal I will send the pictures to those people. Is that what u want? remember what's at stake. do u want ur family and everyone in DC to see your t--s? Just agree to e-mail me a pic of you in a bra."
Defending his client, Savader's attorney said that he has known him since his childhood and he has never behaved in a strange way and it is difficult to believe these allegations.
If convicted of the crime, he will face a maximum of five years in federal prison.
