A California-based U.S. Navy officer with more than 30 years of experience was arraigned in federal court Monday on charges of cyberstalking a civilian woman.
Prosecutors say U.S. Navy Capt. Theodore Essenfeld, 51, registered fake social media and cell phone accounts using a woman’s identity and photographs without her consent.
FILE: In this handout released by the U.S. Navy, The aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) leaves its San Diego homeport Jan. 17, 2020. (U.S. Navy via Getty Images)
Essenfeld posted erotic and sexually-explicit content to one of these accounts using photos and videos of the woman that she had previously shared with him, according to the indictment.
Essenfeld, of Chula Vista, California, also used a fake Facebook account to engage with dating services, making it seem as though the woman was seeking dates, the indictment said.
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On a fake LinkedIn account created by Essenfeld, the woman’s name falsely advertised herself as a professional pole dancer, according to the indictment.
“This indictment alleges a disturbing campaign of betrayed trust, harassment, and intimidation,” U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman said in a statement. “This office is committed to protecting victims of cyberstalking and holding perpetrators accountable for malicious internet activity.”
A LinkedIn page under Essenfeld’s name shows he has been serving in the U.S. Navy since November 1990.
If convicted, Essenfeld faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
FILE – The guided missile destroyer USS Zumwalt is assisted by a tugboat at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, in this Tuesday, April 2, 2019, file photo, in Honolulu. (Craig T. Kojima/Honolulu Star-Advertiser via AP, File)
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Fox News Digital has reached out to the U.S. Navy for comment.
