Rhode Island Man Sentenced to 14 Months for Cyberstalking

PORTLAND, Maine: A Rhode Island man was sentenced today in federal court for cyberstalking.

Chief U.S. District Judge Jon D. Levy sentenced Larry Spencer, 62, to 14 months imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release. Spencer pleaded guilty on October 17, 2022. The court will also issue a three-year federal protective order prohibiting contact between Spencer and the victim.

According to court records, Spencer was divorced from his former spouse in 2016 in Maryland. Following years of harassment and stalking, the victim relocated to a different residence in Maryland before moving to Maine in 2018. Spencer continued to harass and threaten her via email and social media posts, and she obtained a State of Maine protection order in 2019. Spencer continued to harass and threaten the victim in violation of the order by sending dozens of emails and harassing posts and threats online. Permanently deleting her email account did not stop him. Spencer’s use of email messages and posts on social media platforms to contact the victim directly and indirectly, as well as his overt and veiled references to violence and to her physical location, caused the victim substantial emotional distress.

“Cyberstalking is a serious and traumatizing federal crime, the prosecution of which is a priority for my office,” said United States Attorney Darcie N. McElwee.

The FBI conducted the investigation.

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