PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney William M. McSwain
announced that Blair Strouse, 29, of Warminster, PA, was sentenced today to 30
months’ imprisonment by United States District Judge Petrese Tucker for charges
related to cyberstalking his estranged wife.
In February 2015, the defendant began communicating online
with a Brazilian citizen living in Brazil, who eventually travelled to the
United States to work for a company that provided au pair services to families
in the United States. When the position
did not work out, the woman moved to Pennsylvania in August 2016 to be with the
defendant, whom she married about one month later. Shortly thereafter, in November 2016, the
defendant began mistreating the woman, and she moved out of their Warminster
residence. In December 2016, the
defendant began a relentless campaign to threaten and harass her and her family
members who were still living in Brazil.
Over the course of several months, the defendant sent dozens
of electronic communications from his home to his wife’s family members and
associates – repeatedly threatening to kill and inflict serious injury upon his
victims. He also offered to pay anyone
willing to kill or injure his wife’s family members. Even after a judge in the Bucks County Court
of Common Pleas issued a protection from abuse order against the defendant in
February 2017, he continued to send harassing messages and stated that his
purpose in life was to make members of his estranged wife’s family suffer.
“Threats like these made in any manner, whether via
electronic communications or otherwise, are taken very seriously by my Office,”
said U.S. Attorney McSwain. “It’s not an
excuse to say that you were just mouthing off; if you threaten serious bodily
injury or even death over the internet, that is a federal crime with
consequences.”
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of
Investigation, and is being prosecuted by Deputy United States Attorney Louis
D. Lappen.
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