A man is accused of running an insidious cyberstalking campaign in which he listed a woman’s pet ducks for free on Craigslist and shared victims’ personal information on the Internet in efforts to ruin their lives, federal officials said.
Joseph Bourabah, 27, is now sentenced to eight years and four months in prison, the US Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of Virginia said June 10.
His attorney declined to comment to McClatchy News on June 11.
Bourabah is accused of stalking 31 victims, including at least five in Virginia, over the course of a year and a half.
His victims became isolated and fearful, and one man even said he was disowned as a result of Bourabah’s actions, federal officials said in court documents.
‘I’m never going to stop’
In September 2021, Bourabah began circulating pornographic content of a woman he knew on Facebook.
In the months that followed, he accused her of having an affair, sent the inappropriate material to her friends and uploaded it to a website while listing her name and her former employers, officials said.
Eventually, the woman came to him as a friend to share she was being harassed, without knowing he was behind it, officials said. He continued to harass her even knowing she was afraid, according to prosecutors.
He’s also accused of harassing her mother, carrying out what federal officials call one of his “most egregious acts”.
He posted on Craigslist advertising her pet ducks for free, and he told someone to come get them while the woman was out of the house, officials said.
Then he sent a photo to family members of a stew, asking if they could guess what kind of meat was in it, according to a screengrab of the post obtained by federal officials. A duck emoji accompanied the message.
Not only did the woman lose her ducks, but Bourabah also posted about a free trampoline at the woman’s house, resulting in someone taking that too, officials said.
With another victim, he listed the man’s car for free on Craigslist and later attempted to have it towed, officials said.
He began circulating an online petition calling for the FBI to investigate the man, calling him a “maniac”, according to court documents. He also targeted the man’s former employer by advertising the business’s furniture for free and even had deliveries sent to the business owner’s home, prosecutors said.
He accused this victim of “constantly turning the other cheek as I CRUSH you and your entire circle. And I’m never going to stop. I’ll be trolling your children’s babysitter 10 years from now,” federal officials said in court documents.
Bourabah also targeted this victim’s mother, officials said.
He’s accused of creating online events with her home address for a Halloween party, an open house and a New Year’s Eve party, encouraging strangers to show up at her home. He also tried to have her vehicle towed five times, and he sent tree trimmers, plumbers and roofers to her home, prosecutors said.
He’s accused of causing another family’s post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety through similar actions.
“Often the strangers came seeking free furniture or other free items; however, (Bourabah) also posted about free massages and prostitution services,” federal officials said.
‘Terror campaign’
Eventually, someone who knew Bourabah reached out to one of his victims to reveal he was behind the acts, federal officials said. That person also told the FBI.
Bourabah apologised for his actions in letters to the judge, but he maintained the government made false accusations against him.
“But at the end of the day, I know that I did in fact get carried away,” he wrote. “I let my anger, fear, mental instability and emotions get the best of me. And I couldn’t be more sorry for it. I never once tried or wanted to hurt anyone or put them in harm’s way. I have never been violent a day in my life.”
Prosecutors argued for a tougher punishment than the 41-51 months recommended by sentencing guidelines, and the judge agreed to sentence Bourabah to 100 months in prison.
Prosecutors said Bourabah “sought to destroy the victims in this case, targeting their families, their livelihoods and their reputations during an 18-month terror campaign”, according to court documents. “He caused invaluable harm to their reputations, their businesses and their family dynamic that are tragic.”
The acts lasted until February 2023, officials said. – The Charlotte Observer/Tribune News Service