Man from Mescalero faces cyberstalking charges

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Jayvian Chee, 19, of Mescalero, New Mexico, appeared in federal court on Feb. 1 for detention hearing where he was charged with cyberstalking.

According to a criminal complaint, from Nov. 28, 2021, through Jan. 9, 2022, Chee allegedly harassed a minor through social media platform Instagram by sending her threating messages and cyberstalking her. Chee created multiple spam accounts and threatened to send explicit material of the victim to others.

A complaint is only an allegation. A defendant is considered innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, Chee faces up to five years in prison.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney Matilda McCarthy Villalobos is prosecuting this case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and DOJ’s Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.