A retired Georgia soldier has been sentenced to more than two years in prison for a prolonged campaign of cyberstalking targeting a former co-worker. The Department of Justice reports that on Tuesday, Jose Castillo Hernandez, a 40-year-old from Richmond Hill, Georgia, was handed a 27-month sentence followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to charges earlier this year. According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Arizona, his cyber harassment spanned from late 2017 to 2021, involving threatening communications and actions.

Hernandez's harassment began with anonymous messages, laden with hate and threats, directed at his co-worker and extended to the victim's family. As per the DOJ, he didn't just stop at sending menacing texts – he escalated his actions over time, reaching a sinister peak with tracking the victim’s car, and leveling detailed death threats. Moreover, Hernandez pushed boundaries by sending these threats along with pictures of the victim to businesses the victim frequented in multiple states, ensuring fear followed everywhere.

Investigations that led to Hernandez's capture and conviction were a joint force effort by the Criminal Investigations Division at Fort Huachuca and the FBI. The case fell under the jurisdiction of Assistant U.S. Attorney Carin C. Duryee, who spearheaded the prosecution efforts in Tucson. Trial documents reveal that Hernandez had a case number of CR 23-CR-01636-RCC attached to his criminal proceedings.