Seattle Man Sentenced for “Unparalleled” Cyber Harassment
A Seattle man was sentenced to nine years in federal prison for tormenting a victim and law enforcement with a persistent cyberstalking campaign, that included violent and sexually explicit threats and thousands of unwanted e-mails.
Sumit Garg, a former online privacy consultant, was convicted in March of conspiracy to engage in cyberstalking, three counts of cyberstalking in violation of a criminal order, and three counts of cyberstalking.
“The cyberstalking activities of this defendant are unparalleled in this District and indeed nationwide. Through thousands of email and text messages Mr. Garg threatened violence against his victims -- including police and prosecutors,” said U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman of the Western District of Washington.
Case Details
Prosecutors said the trouble began in 2020, when Garg targeted his wife’s former roommate, with an “extensive campaign of threats and sexually explicit messaging and posts” that included threats of rape, torture, and death.
At one point, Garg’s wife was enlisted in the scheme and the duo worked to “make it appear that they were the harassment victims and made false police reports blaming the actual victim.”
Garg then used his computer skills to broaden the attacks to multiple people in the former roommate’s life including her uncle and her boyfriend, as well as the Seattle Police Detective who investigated the threats, and the Deputy Prosecuting Attorney.
Garg also took pictures of the victim’s new apartment building and sent them to her as part of his “apparently insatiable desire to even the score” even instructing his wife to destroy the clothes he wore at the time.
In testimony, Garg’s wife said, “she finally felt free to tell the truth when he was booked on federal charges and would not be returning to their home to abuse her verbally and physically.”
Garg was held in detention since his arrest in 2021.
The case was investigated by the United States Secret Service with assistance from the Seattle Police Department.
“The U.S. Secret Service is satisfied with the outcome of this case, which is a culmination of the work of motivated agents and analysts, applying their skillsets and tools to bring an end to an unprecedented cyberstalking campaign against multiple victims,” said U.S. Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Glen Peterson. “I hope the victims can find some closure to the nightmares they endured during Mr. Garg’s relentless reign of harassment.”