New York Man Pleads Guilty to Extensive Cyberstalking Campaign

A New York man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in the Southern District of New York to one count of cyberstalking, stemming from his extensive cyberstalking campaign that targeted a woman he dated for several months in 2013 and 2014.  The victim’s name is being withheld to protect her privacy.

Assistant Attorney Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman of the Southern District of New York made the announcement. 

David Waldman, 49, of Inwood, New York, was initially arrested and charged by complaint and then indicted by a grand jury on June 14, with one count of cyberstalking and six counts of sending interstate threats.  Waldman has been detained pending trial.   At his change of plea hearing today before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Robert W. Lehrburger, Waldman pleaded guilty to one count of cyberstalking.  His sentencing hearing is scheduled for Nov. 22, 2018.

According to the indictment to which Waldman pleaded guilty, Waldman engaged in an extensive cyberstalking campaign targeting a woman he briefly dated.  The campaign began in April 2014, shortly after Waldman and the victim ended their relationship, and continued intermittently until the date of Waldman’s arrest.  Over the course of almost four years, Waldman sent the victim hundreds of text messages, voicemail messages, and e-mail messages, and made voluminous posts on a variety of online platforms, in which he claimed, among other assertions, that she had been diagnosed with bipolar and narcissistic personality disorder, used drugs, and fabricated claims that she had been a victim of child sexual abuse.  In his online communications, Waldman also repeatedly threatened to show up at the victim’s apartment and office and threatened to injure, torture, and sexually assault her.  Waldman also sent email messages to the victim’s employers, accusing her of being a “habitual drug user” and claiming that he would sue her for defamation, theft, illegal trespass, violating HIPAA, and engaging in other “illegal behaviors.” 

Over the course of the alleged cyberstalking campaign, the victim obtained multiple state court orders of protection against Waldman.

Senior Trial Attorney Mona Sedky of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Chiuchiolo of the Southern District of New York are prosecuting the case.