Joel Kurzynski, Cyberstalking, Washington 2024

Seattle Man Pleads Guilty to Cyberstalking Campaign

A Seattle man has pleaded guilty to conducting a cyberstalking campaign against multiple residents, a crime that has caused victims serious harm and anguish offline, according to authorities.

Joel Kurzynski, 38, of Seattle, Washington, a former Information Technology professional, was charged with two counts of cyberstalking and admitted to orchestrating an extensive and rapidly escalating campaign that targeted two individuals known to him.

According to his plea, Kurzynski engaged in death threats, body shaming, and hate speech, as well as creating fake dating profiles and spam phone calls to his victims. He even impersonated a journalist, contacting one of the victims with accusations of sexual misconduct.

The victims, whose names are being withheld to protect their privacy, were subjected to a wave of harassing messages, including death threats, body shaming, and hate speech. The case highlights the need for individuals to report such conduct to their local law enforcement agencies.

The U.S. Secret Service’s Seattle Field Office investigated the case with substantial assistance from the Seattle Police Department and King County Prosecutor’s Office. Trial Attorney Frank Lin of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Francis Franze-Nakamura of the Western District of Washington are prosecuting the case.

Kurzynski’s guilty plea sends a clear message that the Criminal Division and law enforcement partners are committed to protecting the public and pursuing malicious actors who hide behind the anonymity of the Internet.

“This defendant thought he could use a computer keyboard to stalk and harass others with remarkable cruelty — all while hiding in the shadows. He could not have been more wrong,” said U.S. Attorney Annette L. Hayes. “Conduct that we all know is wrong in the real world, is just as wrong in cyberspace and will be punished accordingly.”

Kurzynski is scheduled to be sentenced on December 7 before Senior U.S. District Judge Robert S. Lasnik.

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