Extortion and identity theft are not new crimes, but the way a Pacific Beach man allegedly committed them is new because of the immediacy of the Internet.
A Nov. 12 trial date has been set for Kevin Christopher Bollaert, 28, who ran a “revenge porn” Web site in which he demanded money from women whose ex-boyfriends sent him their nude photos.
Bollaert pleaded not guilty July 16 when he appeared in San Diego Superior Court to get a trial date set. His Web sites were shut down a year ago by the state attorney general’s office.
His lawyer, Alex Landon, has previously argued that Bollaert created a forum and received photos from the public who responded to the “ugotposted.com” Web site. Landon maintained it “may be distasteful” but questioned whether it was illegal.
The 27counts of identity theft allege that Bollaert posted the names, sometimes phone numbers or identifying information about the women. Bollaert asked for payment of up to $249 to remove the photos from another Web site called “changemyreputation.com.”
All of the photos came from ex-boyfriends or ex-husbands of women, and none involved any lesbian relationships. No nude male photos were shown.
A number of young women were angered and stunned by the public postings, with some saying they had been contacted by strangers at work.
Bollaert was ordered to stand trial on all the charges plus conspiracy after a four day preliminary hearing last month. He remains free on $50,000 bond.
