In a sobering case of cyber harassment, a Commerce Township man has pleaded guilty to using artificially generated explicit content to stalk a social media influencer, as confirmed by United States Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon. The announcement was made on January 27th, detailing the crimes of 37-year-old Joshua Stilman, who engaged in a method of cyberstalking that utilized AI technology to generate sexually explicit images of the victim, using her publicly available pictures.
Stilman's disturbing campaign lasted from February to March 2025, during which he threatened the victim – identified only as Victim-1 – with exposure to her nearly 100,000 followers unless she replied to his messages. These communications, rife with inquiries about her sexual preferences and threats, underscore the harrowing realities of cyber abuse. Jennifer Runyan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI-Detroit, emphasized this point: "Hiding behind a keyboard to intimidate and harass another person is an act of cowardice, and today's outcome demonstrates that such behavior will be met with full accountability," per the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Following his guilty plea, Stilman now faces a maximum imprisonment term of five years for cyberstalking. His sentencing is scheduled for May 21. Runyan praised the bravery of the victim, whose willingness to step forward and persist in the pursuit of justice has been pivotal in reaching this result. In the same announcement, Runyan commended the extraordinary courage of the victim, saying, as per the U.S. Attorney's Office, "I commend the extraordinary courage of the victim, whose willingness to come forward and persistence in pursuing justice made this result possible."
