Photo by sealdaze
A grand jury indicted two ex-staffers of a congresswoman on Thursday in connection to the sharing of nude photos and videos of her and husband.
D.C. resident Juan McCullum, 35, was indicted on two counts of cyberstalking. His former co-worker, 45-year-old Dorene Browne-Louis, of Upper Marlboro, Md., was indicted on two counts of obstruction of justice, according to a release from the U.S. District Court for D.C.
The release doesn’t name the representative, but records show that McCullum and Browne-Louis worked for Delegate Stacey Plaskett, who represents the Virgin Islands as a nonvoting member in Congress. (While working for Plaskett, McCullum also appeared in an article from The Hill, which referenced him as a former reality TV star who appeared on VH1’s “I Love New York.”)
Del. Plaskett also acknowledged the leak last year and released another statement on Thursday, following the prosecutor’s announcement.
According to court documents, McCullum offered to get Plaskett’s iPhone, which contained the nude photos and videos, repaired at an Apple store in March 2016. She agreed and gave him the phone’s password to do so.
Four months later, when he was no longer working for Plaskett, McCullum created email and Facebook accounts using a fake name to circulate the private content, according to court documents. He also allegedly encouraged others on social media to share the images and videos in Plaskett’s congressional district.
Prosecutors say McCullum also sent text messages and emails to Brown-Louis about what he was doing with attachments of the content.
Federal officials launched a criminal investigation a few days after the photos and videos were distributed.
Del. Plaskett said in a statement on Thursday that “while we continue to be saddened by the damage we suffered as a result of these egregious acts, my family and I are also incredibly thankful to the people of the Virgin Islands, who have shown us tremendous care, sensitivity, and love throughout this ordeal.”
“The most important thing to me is the well-being of my family, and I will always be grateful to the residents, and families, of the Virgin Islands for their support,” she said.
Browne-Louis’s charge of obstruction of justice involves the messages sent by McCullum that she allegedly deleted from her phone, as well as “false, incomplete, and misleading statements that she allegedly made to law enforcement and a federal grand jury regarding her knowledge of the activities,” according to the release. The charge carries a statutory maximum of 20 years in jail and potential financial penalties.
She pleaded not guilty on Thursday and was released on personal recognizance. Her status hearing set for July 19.
McCullum’s charge of cyberstalking carries a statutory maximum of five years in jail and potential financial penalties. His first court appearance hasn’t been scheduled.
