San Diego man convicted in 'revenge porn' case; faces up to 20 years in prison

Wednesday, February 4, 2015
San Diego man convicted in nude photo case; faces 20 years in prison
San Diego man convicted in nude photo case; faces 20 years in prisonA 28-year-old San Diego man was convicted Monday of running a "revenge porn" website in which he allowed nude photos of ex-lovers to be posted anonymously and without consent.

LOS ANGELES -- A 28-year-old San Diego man was convicted Monday of running a "revenge porn" website in which he allowed nude photos of ex-lovers to be posted anonymously and without consent.

Kevin Bollaert, 28, was the website operator for ugotposted.com. He was found guilty of 27 counts, including identity theft and extortion, and faces up to 20 years in prison.

California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris said there were 10,000 nude photos on Bollaert's computer. The photos on the website also contained the full names of victims and the city they lived in.

In order for the victims to get their information off his website, they were directed to another site called changemyreputation.com.

Prosecutors said he charged the victims up to $350 to get the photos removed, and PayPal records show he earned $30,000 in extortion payments.

Bollaert's case is believed to be the country's first cyber exploitation case of its kind.

Harris said her office was examining possible revisions in state law to keep up with how criminals are using technology. The revisions include applications for search warrants that are needed to seize online posts in such cases.

The revenge-porn law was enacted in October 2013 after Bollaert was charged. It makes it a misdemeanor for those who post identifiable nude photos of someone else online without their consent and with the intent of causing emotional distress or humiliation.

Bollaert will be back in court for his sentencing. The state will also recommend he pay restitution to the victims.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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