‘Revenge Porn’ Doesn’t Pay — Kevin Bollaert Faces 20 Years In Prison For Extorting Women
When in a relationship, there is always the possibility that in the long run, it may not work out. In the past, when the above possibility proved to be true, men usually moved on — but after coping in their own way. Some men brought their woes to the bottle, while others found solace in the embrace of a stranger. Why, some would just simply cry.
However, there are some men who can’t seem to cope after a breakup. These are the men who hold grudges, who have a hatred that festers to a point they want to hurt their ex-girlfriends emotionally, personally, and sometimes physically. Eventually, certain men of this caliber found a way to make money off of their hatred through revenge porn, websites that allow other men like them to publicly share with the world private pictures of their ex-girlfriends. Some victims of revenge porn had enough and started to fight back. The Inquisitr reported on one such example when Emma Holten reclaimed her body from revenge porn by taking nude pictures on her own terms. She had them posted up on feminist website Hysteria.
Still, the situation with revenge sites is getting out of hand. As a matter of fact, submitting images of ex-girlfriends on said sites is now illegal in some places. In the United Kingdom, violations may result in a two-year prison sentence. Here in the United States, Noe Iniguez is the first man to receive prison time for posting pictures of his ex-girlfriend on a revenge site. Now, the owners of these sites are getting in trouble, in which one of them may face up to twenty years in prison.
According to an article by Huffington Post, it reports that the San Diego Superior Court jury found Kevin Bollaert guilty of 27 counts, which includes identity theft and extortion on his revenge site. They were unable to reach a verdict on two charges of identity theft and conspiracy, and the judge declared a mistrial on the counts. Attorney General Kamala Harris made a statement to news reporters after the trial.
“[Criminals attempting to exploit victims from behind a computer screen] will not be shielded from the law or jail. [Bollaert subjected victims to] shame, and embarrassment, in the context of their family, their community and their workplace.”
NY Daily News also reported on the trial, but also provided specific details on Kevin Bollaert’s criminal activities. Apparently, Bollaert ran a website called U Got Posted. He encouraged men to send nude pictures of ex-lovers to get revenge on them. He would even link the pictures to the social media accounts of the victims. When the women complained, Bolleart would direct them to another website, Change My Reputation, which charged up to $350 to remove said pictures. More than 10,000 pictures were posted on the site between December 2012 and September 2013, earning thousands of dollars from victims. Even Bollaert’s lawyer called the site “gross,” “sleazy,” and “immoral,” even while trying to defend its legality.
Though numerous cases nationwide have convicted individuals for posting pictures of their exes, this case makes California the first state to prosecute an individual for running a revenge site. Eventually, the fifteen other states that have criminal laws against revenge may incorporate running revenge sites illegal, too.
[Images via Bing]
