Kevin Bollaert, who was charged after allegedly posting pornographic photos of women and girls submitted by ex-boyfriends as revenge, then asking complaining women and girls for money in order to remove the photos, will go to trial on 31 felony counts.
After Bollaert’s five-day preliminary hearing, the judge ruled that there was sufficient evidence to proceed with the trial. Bollaert is reported to have posted over 10,000 revenge porn images on his websites, including YouGotPosted.com.
Bollaert also created a second site called changemyreputation.com for revenge-porn victims.
Bollaert is charged with conspiracy, identity theft and extortion. There had also been allegations of child pornography, since at least two victims had said that they were underage.
Bollaert denies the charges. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 22 year in prison.
Bollaert was also charged in three other states in the past, but he did not respond to the lawsuits, and the judge entered default judgements.
There exists in California a law the criminalizes revenge porn. Only a few states have such laws, but there is increasing activism to create them.
Read more: Revenge-Porn New Laws for 2014
If Bollaert is found guilty in the case, it may be the first major revenge-porn prosecution. There are significant obstacles to prosecution, however.
By James Haleavy