A Marine stationed at Camp Pendleton was arrested on suspicion of cyberstalking young women from his hometown of Torrance, officials said Wednesday, Feb. 9.
Johao Miguel Chavarri, 25, of Oceanside, was taken into custody Tuesday and facing a federal stalking charge, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a statement. He was accused of extorting the women by threatening to send or publish sexually explicit photos and videos of them online or on pornography websites, officials said.
“(Chavarri) created and used numerous online accounts to repeatedly stalk, harass and threaten women who would not give in to his demands that, among other things, they send him nude, sexually explicit or otherwise compromising photos and videos of themselves,” the Department of Justice said in a statement.
In multiple instances, Chavarri would also threaten to send the images or videos to the victims’ boyfriends, friends, families or employers, some of whom he would name, officials said.
The cyberstalking was believed to have happened from 2019 to 2021, involving some victims who Chavarri continued to harass for more than one year, according to the Department of Justice. He also used an alias, “Michael Frito,” officials said.
Chavarri was also accused of creating fake social media accounts pretending to be the victims, then sending harassing messages to some of their friends and family members, the Department of Justice said.
The suspect is also accused of sending an Instagram message to multiple victims saying he would spend his “whole life” ruining their lives, officials said.
If convicted, Chavarri faces up to five years in prison. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service was also investigating.
Chavarri’s current status with the Marines was not immediately clear.
Source: Orange County Register
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