A Navy captain has been arrested and charged with cyberstalking a former girlfriend after, as prosecutors allege, an 18-month marketing campaign through which he created a false digital identification of the lady after which posted sexual photographs of her to Fb.
Capt. Theodore E. Essenfeld, 51, who has 31 years of naval service, was arrested Friday and appeared earlier than a choose Monday on a single cost of cyberstalking — an offense that carries a most sentence of 5 years in jail and a $250,000 fantastic, in line with a press launch from the Division of Justice.
U.S. Legal professional Randy Grossman, who oversees the workplace that introduced the costs, stated in a launched assertion that “the indictment alleges a disturbing marketing campaign of betrayed belief, harassment and intimidation.”
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Gary Barthel, the lawyer who represents Essenfeld, stated that the officer was nonetheless in custody Wednesday however that he was working to safe his launch. “He is presumed harmless and, as quickly as we get some discovery on the case, we’ll have a greater thought of what is what,” the lawyer added in a name with Army.com on Wednesday.
The indictment says Essenfeld met the sufferer within the case after they began relationship in 2018 whereas the pair lived in San Diego.
Essenfeld was simply wrapping up a tour because the commanding officer of the amphibious assault ship USS Pearl Harbor and shifting to the employees of the commander of Naval Floor Power Pacific, in line with information supplied to Army.com by the Navy.
By 2020, Essenfeld’s tour in southern California had ended, and he was transferred to U.S. Northern Command in Colorado Springs, Colorado. His indictment notes that the sufferer ended up shifting to that state round Could 2021, however the pair broke up that August.
Nonetheless, in line with the indictment, beginning in November 2020 — months earlier than his girlfriend would even transfer to Colorado — Essenfeld started to register e mail accounts, social media profiles and even a disposable cellphone in her identify.
The false e mail and cellphone enabled him to begin Fb and LinkedIn accounts in his sufferer’s identify, which he then used “to harass and intimidate her,” courtroom paperwork allege.
The indictment alleges that he used the Fb account to make it seem as if the lady was trying to meet dates through the positioning’s on-line relationship service. He additionally “posted erotic photographs and movies” of her — content material which she shared with him whereas they have been relationship — and created photograph albums with names like “Bed room Enjoyable.”
Essenfeld then drew consideration to the Fb profile by linking it to the profiles of his sufferer’s job and alma mater, courtroom paperwork allege.
In a pretend LinkedIn profile that he created, Essenfeld listed her job as “pole dancer,” prosecutors allege.
The alleged stalking by the Navy officer, who started his profession in 1991 as an enlisted submarine sailor earlier than incomes his fee in 1998, ran till Could 2022 — 9 months after the 2 broke off the connection.
Navy and courtroom paperwork say Essenfeld moved again to San Diego in January 2022 earlier than being assigned to the employees of Expeditionary Strike Group 3 in August.
Barthel famous that Essenfeld turned conscious of an investigation towards him sooner or later previous to expenses being filed however added that his chain of command would not provide him any particulars on its progress.
The Division of Justice, in its assertion, stated that the case was investigated by the Naval Legal Investigative Service. Joshua Flowers, a particular agent accountable for the NCIS Southwest Subject Workplace, referred to as Essenfeld’s alleged habits “reprehensible” in the identical assertion.
The Navy, by means of a spokeswoman, confirmed Essenfeld’s arrest however directed every other inquiries to the NCIS and Justice Division.
In response to his service report, Essenfeld commanded two warships — the USS Pearl Harbor and the mine countermeasures ship USS Guardian. His awards embrace the Protection Superior Service Medal, three Meritorious Service Medals, two Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals, and three Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals.
He additionally earned his Enlisted Submarine Warfare Specialist pin whereas stationed aboard the USS Topeka previous to changing into an officer.
— Konstantin Toropin will be reached at konstantin.toropin@army.com. Observe him on Twitter @ktoropin.
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