Anthony Elonis, Cyberstalking, Pennsylvania 2022

In a disturbing case of online harassment, 39-year-old Anthony Elonis of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, has been convicted of cyberstalking three separate victims.

The conviction, handed down on August 5, 2022, by U.S. District Court Judge Edward G. Smith in Easton, Pennsylvania, follows a five-day trial.

According to the indictment, Elonis, between 2018 and 2021, sent numerous harassing and intimidating emails directly to a government employee in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, as well as sent or posted numerous harassing and intimidating communications via Twitter, text message, or other form of electronic communication regarding the government employee, his former girlfriend, and his ex-wife.

The charges resulted from an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Allentown Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert O’Hara and Geoffrey MacArthur prosecuted the case.

Under federal law, Counts One and Three of the Indictment, involving a government employee and Elonis’ ex-wife as victims, each carry a maximum penalty of up to five years in prison, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. Count Two, involving Elonis’ former girlfriend as a victim, carries a maximum penalty of up to ten years in prison because the offense of cyberstalking was committed in violation of a Protection from Abuse Order (PFA) previously issued against Elonis in Northampton County.

Sentencing has been scheduled for November 18, 2022, in Easton, Pennsylvania. The matter has been specially assigned to the United States Attorney’s Office in the Middle District of Pennsylvania for prosecution.

Defendant: Anthony Elonis

Crime: Cyberstalking

City: Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Date: August 5, 2022

Sentence: Up to 5 years in prison for Counts One and Three, up to 10 years in prison for Count Two, and a fine

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