A disquieting tale of cyberstalking and extortion has emerged with the unsealing of a complaint charging a federal inmate, Fred Mastroianni, and his sister, Doreen Mastroianni, with a scheme that preyed on vulnerable individuals for financial gain. United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Damian Williams, and FBI Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office, James E. Dennehy, announced the charges which include cyberstalking, extortion, and conspiracy to commit extortion.
According to the official release, the accused brother and sister duo threatened to release sexually explicit materials in a bid to extort victims. Remarkably, Fred Mastroianni engaged in these alleged criminal activities while already serving a 35-year sentence for offenses related to child pornography. "As alleged, Fred and Doreen Mastroianni have cyberstalked and conspired to extort victims by threatening to release compromising images of them to the public," Williams stated in the unveiling of the complaint. Moreover, Fred has supposedly orchestrated the extortion scheme from behind bars using another inmate’s email account.
The pair, who were presented in White Plains federal court, are each slapped with multiple charges, the most severe of which carries a potential maximum sentence of five years imprisonment. In a statement obtained by the Justice Department's press office, Williams emphasized the commitment of the Office to protect the community from those aiming to harm and exploit. FBI's Dennehy also condemned the siblings' actions, asserting that such exploitation "will not be tolerated."
An unsettling detail in the complaint underscores how the siblings allegedly leveraged the tragic pasts of they victims, with Fred directing his sister to forward the draft extortion threats. If there's a silver lining, it's in the cooperative effort among law enforcement entities, as Mr. Williams praised the work of the FBI’s Westchester Safe Streets Task Force. The persons charged under the complaint are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. Individuals with more information about this case are encouraged to contact the FBI.
