Former staff members for Stacey Plaskett have been found guilty of leaking nude pictures and videos of the Congresswoman and her husband.
“Juan R. McCullum, 35, of Washington, D.C., was indicted by a grand jury on two counts of cyberstalking, and a co-worker, Dorene Browne-Louis, 45, of Upper Marlboro, Md., was indicted on two counts of obstruction of justice. The indictment, which was unsealed today, was returned on July 11, 2017, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.” stated The United States Attorney’s Office.
Plaskett claims that Juan R. McCullum, a former staffer for the delegate took her iPhone in for repair. However, it has been noted that he distributed private photos and videos of the couple on the Internet using anonymous emails.
Moreover, McCullum sent out a text message to a fellow staffer, Dorene Browne-Louis mentioning what he had done and sent her a dozen of pictures and videos that were on Plaskett’s phone.
Plaskett stated, “Last year, my privacy was invaded, which was followed by an organized smear campaign and defamatory press reports concerning both me and my family.”
She added, “I was informed today that preliminary arrests had been made of individuals who were involved in those illegal acts. I am deeply grateful to the Capitol Police and U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia for their thorough and in depth investigating the crimes committed against me, and those who I love.”
It has been noted that McCullum had stopped working for Plaskett back in June, just a month before the leaked content made its way to the internet.
“To say my family and I are greatly upset would be a tremendous understatement,” she said at that time, adding that the dissemination of the images was “a shockingly disgusting invasion of my family’s and my privacy — not to mention criminal acts . . .” Plaskett expressed.
Media outlets highlighted that, “McCullum worked from April 2015 until June 2016 in the House member’s legislative office in Washington, D.C. Browne-Louis worked in the same office from January 2015 until April 2016.”
Sen. Ronald Russell condemned such an action made by someone within the Congress and stated, “I personally have never seen this video. However, I absolutely condemn this act. Unfortunately, we have become a voyeuristic society, where things that are done in private are released willy nilly on social media, with no sense of modesty. … Neither me nor my campaign have anything to do with the release of this or any other video.”
It is to be noted, McCullen is set to face two counts of cyberstalking, whereas Browne-Louis shall be facing two counts of obstruction of justice.
