In what appears to be a truly bizarre coda to the 2012 presidential election, a former aide to Rep. Paul Ryan and campaign staffer to Speaker Newt Gingrich has been arrested and charged with Internet extortion and cyberstalking. Adam Savader, 21, got some unwanted attention from GOP activists on blogs and Twitter as his dirty laundry was discovered. Oh, and was arrested by the FBI yesterday.
A 21-year-old Great Neck, New York man was charged in a criminal complaint in the Eastern District of Michigan with Internet extortion and cyber stalking, announced United States Attorney Barbara L. McQuade.
Joining in the announcement were Special Agent in Charge Robert D. Foley, III, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Chief John Seto, Ann Arbor Police Department.
According to the affidavit, from May 2012 through February 2013, Adam Paul Savader sent anonymous text messages using Google Voice numbers to 15 women stating that he had nude photographs of the women and threatening to distribute the nude photographs to the women’s friends and family members unless the women sent him more nude photographs of themselves. Savader sent some of the victims links to a photo-sharing website where nude pictures of the victims had been posted.
The case was brought to the attention of the Federal Bureau of Investigation by detectives from the Ann Arbor Police Department, who received a complaint from a victim stating that she had received threatening messages from a person who had illegally obtained nude photographs of her from her e-mail account. Detectives with the Ann Arbor P.D. partnered with FBI agents to investigate the case and together identified 15 victims in Detroit; Washington, D.C.; and Long Island, New York.
If convicted on these charges, Savader faces a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment.
Savader is currently in federal custody in New York awaiting removal to Michigan.
Adam Savader’s Twitter bio reads (or #humblebrags), “Formerly @PRyan’s sole intern on @MittRomney’s campaign and a @newtgingrich campaign staffer.”
The FBI complaint against Savader is a slimy read.
On September 30, 2012, Victim 5, who attended the same college as two of the other alleged victims and Savader, received a text message that the writer possessed a compromising photo of her and threatened to distribute it unless she friended him on Facebook.
Victim 5 stated that she had never taken a nude photo of herself. When she was 16-years-old, she embraced and kissed her younger sister at a high school party. She did not know that someone had taken a photo of the kiss. The person who texted Victim 5 from the Google Voice number sent her the picture, which was when she learned that the photo existed.
Victim 5′s story differs in another aspect from those of the other alleged victims: she appears to have had unwanted attention from Savader while still in high school.
Victim 5 stated that she attended a high school in Long Island where she was befriended by Adam Savader. Victim 5 stated that while in high school, she received frequent text messages from Savader who became obsessed with her. She said that Savader sent her gifts and told friends he was dating her which was not true.
Victim 5 said that he stopped once she threatened to get a restraining order against him. But Savader began sending gifts again when she started attending college (the same college he attended).
After much the buzz made it to Twitter (thanks @Liberty_Chick), acquaintances of Savader started to come forward. Most interesting among them were Courtney Mattison, a Republican activist based in Vermont, who sent out tweets expressing her shock, dismay, along with these screen captures from text exchanges with Savader:
Mattison tweeted that she had given a copy of the texts to the FBI and made herself available for additional inquiry that might be helpful to the case against Savader.
Creepy, but innocent until found guilty… or plea deal! Let’s hope he gets the help he needs.
H/T The Other McCain and Mandy Nagy
UPDATE April 24, 2013 4:15pm ET: Let’s not forget this Weiner tweet.
