Nicholas Rotundo, a 23-year-old internal technology resident at a Google campus, was indicted on two counts of cyberstalking after he pretended to be a health researcher in order to entice women to send him nude photos. He then used these photos as blackmail, New York Magazine reported on Friday.
A University of Texas undergrad was deceived by him after she was convinced he was a researcher studying "breast perception" that involved "the public's perception of different breast types."
The student allegedly sent him four nude photos of her for $8,500, thinking they would be used for the research project. She had registered to be included in scientific studies prior to this.
But later, Rotundo allegedly sent her an email saying that he's stumbled across other compromising photos of her, and he would hide them if she sent him sexually - charged photos of different parts of her body.
He was going to post her photos to Pinkmeth, an anonymous message board used for posting and trading stolen sexual photos. It can only be accessed by using a Tor browser. According to the FBI, email records show that addresses sending threats were traced to Rotundo's home in California and a hotel across the street from Google's New York office, according to Daily Dot.
Rotundo did release the nude photos of the University of Texas victims and photos of random women whose laptops he repaired on separate occasions.
The women who gave him their laptops to fix knew him personally and trusted his influence in the technology industry. He took photos of them unknowingly through their laptop cameras and took note of their keystrokes so he could gain access to their devices.
If convicted, Rotundo faces a maximum of 11 years in prison. He posted a $4,500 bond, but Isn't allowed to use the Internet.
