UPDATE April 3, 2015. Kevin Bollaert was found guilty and sentenced to 18 years in prison for his offences.
Kevin Bollaert, a 28 year old San Diego Man, faces up to 20 years in prison for his revenge porn business.
The young California man had set up one website that allowed others to post nude and sexually explicit photos, and a second (Changemyreputation.com) for victims to pay up to $350 to have their explicit photos removed.
Mr. Bollaert’s website capitalized on a recent revenge pornography trend, wherein a jilted lover posts a nude photo of their ex-partner to humiliate them. The victims’ photographs, which may have originally been sent to their partner in the course of their relationship, are posted publicly and without their consent.
The jury heard evidence that Mr. Bollaert allowed people to anonymously post more than 10,000 photographs between December 2, 2012 and September 17, 2013. The victims, who were mainly women, also had their names, cities, and other personal information released, such as links to their facebook page.
More than two dozen victims had their names added to this criminal case. Not only were they embarrassed, and in some cases lost their job, but they also suffered from harassment and ruined relationships with friends and family.
In an ABC Nightline interview with Bollaert from prison, he said that the whole idea was to make money, and that he now regretted not using his skills in a regular job. Nightline reported that there are hundreds of similar revenge porn sites in the U.S.A., so prolific it is now being referred to as “involuntary porn”.
Lawmakers have struggled to keep up with technology related crimes. In Bollaert’s case, six of his convictions were for extortion, and the remaining 21 for identity theft.
In Canada:
In January, 2015, a teenage girl from Victoria B.C. was found guilty of possessing and distributing child pornography. She circulated sexually explicit photographs of her boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend. She recently lost a constitutional challenge, and is awaiting sentencing.
In December, 2014, three teenage boys from Kamloops had their child pornography charges dropped when they pled guilty to a charge of criminal harassment. In this case, the boys had pressured teenage girls to send them naked/topless photos, and then “traded” them. They were given a conditional discharge, and ordered to take counselling and perform community service.
Parents can help protect their teens by talking about social media and advising them of the risks:
Jayne Embree, M.A.
Jayne holds a Masters in Psychology and is a highly experienced Divorce Coach and Child Specialist. Currently on sabbatical, Jayne is conducting research in the area of family dynamics and parental conflict.