A US man accused of running a “revenge porn” Web site hosting more than 10,000 sexually explicit photographs as part of an extortion ploy pleaded not guilty on Friday, a US court spokeswoman said.
Kevin Christopher Bollaert, 27, entered his plea in court in San Diego, California, Karen Dalton said.
He has been charged with 31 counts of conspiracy, identity theft and extortion over the racket, which allegedly earned him tens of thousands of US dollars.
US Judge David Szumowski set a preliminary hearing for March 17.
His lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Bollaert, who is free on US$50,000 bail, was arrested last month. He allegedly created the Web site ugotposted.com in December 2012, allowing explicit photographs to be posted without the subject’s permission.
The Web site “turned their public humiliation and betrayal into a commodity with the potential to devastate lives,” California’s Attorney General Kamala Harris said at the time.
The photographs, commonly known as revenge porn, are typically obtained consensually during a relationship, but then posted without permission, or are simply stolen or hacked.
Unlike other revenge porn Web sites where photographs are anonymous, ugotposted.com required the poster to include the subject’s full name, location, age and Facebook profile link.
Bollaert created a second Web site, changemyreputation.com, which he used when individuals contacted ugotposted.com asking for their photographs to be removed from the site.
He then allegedly extorted victims by offering, from the changemyreputation Web site, to remove content from ugotposted.com for a fee of up to US$350, allegedly making tens of thousands of dollars, according to court documents.
“Online predators that profit from the extortion of private photos will be investigated and prosecuted for this reprehensible and illegal internet activity,” Harris said in a statement last month.
In October last year, California Governor Jerry Brown signed a law banning revenge porn.
FLYBY: The object, appears to be traveling more than 60 kilometers per second, meaning it is not bound by the sun’s orbit, astronomers studying 3I/Atlas said Astronomers on Wednesday confirmed the discovery of an interstellar object racing through the solar system — only the third-ever spotted, although scientists suspect many more might slip past unnoticed. The visitor from the stars, designated 3I/Atlas, is likely the largest yet detected, and has been classified as a comet, or cosmic snowball. “It looks kind of fuzzy,” said Peter Veres, an astronomer with the International Astronomical Union’s Minor Planet Center, which was responsible for the official confirmation. “It seems that there is some gas around it, and I think one or two telescopes reported a very short tail.” Originally known as A11pl3Z before
Hundreds of protesters marched through the Mexican capital on Friday denouncing gentrification caused by foreigners, with some vandalizing businesses and shouting “gringos out!” The demonstration in the capital’s central area turned violent when hooded individuals smashed windows, damaged restaurant furniture and looted a clothing store. Mexico City Government Secretary Cesar Cravioto said 15 businesses and public facilities were damaged in what he called “xenophobic expressions” similar to what Mexican migrants have suffered in other countries. “We are a city of open arms... there are always ways to negotiate, to sit at the table,” Cravioto told Milenio television. Neighborhoods like Roma-Condesa
‘CONTINUE TO SERVE’: The 90-year-old Dalai Lama said he hoped to be able to continue serving ‘sentient beings and the Buddha Dharma’ for decades to come The Dalai Lama yesterday said he dreamed of living for decades more, as the Buddhist spiritual leader prayed with thousands of exiled Tibetans on the eve of his 90th birthday. Thumping drums and deep horns reverberated from the Indian hilltop temple, as a chanting chorus of red-robed monks and nuns offered long-life prayers for Tenzin Gyatso, who followers believe is the 14th reincarnation of the Dalai Lama. Looking in good health, dressed in traditional maroon monk robes and a flowing yellow wrap, he led prayers — days after confirming that the 600-year-old Tibetan Buddhist institution would continue after his death. Many exiled Tibetans
Dozens of residents have evacuated remote islands in southern Japan that have been shaken by nearly 1,600 earthquakes in recent weeks, the local mayor said yesterday. There has been no major physical damage on hardest-hit Akuseki island, even after a magnitude 5.1 quake that struck overnight, said Toshima Mayor Genichiro Kubo, who is based on another island. However, the almost nonstop jolts since June 21 have caused severe stress to area residents, many of whom have been deprived of sleep. Of the 89 residents of Akuseki, 44 had evacuated to the regional hub of Kagoshima by Sunday, while 15 others also left another
RSS