Source: Office of United States Attorneys
Defendant created 62 accounts across dozens of online platforms to abuse and impersonate women he knew; Posted thousands of fake, AI-generated, or photoshopped pornographic images of victims and their information, encouraging others to torment them
BOSTON – A Plymouth, Mass. man has been sentenced in federal court in Boston for cyberstalking more than a dozen Massachusetts women over a 16-year period. Beginning as early as 2008 and continuing into 2024, the defendant engaged in elaborate online harassment campaigns that targeted and tormented women he knew personally – including two who were minors when the conduct began. Among other things, the defendant hacked into victims’ personal accounts and used over 60 accounts across nearly 30 platforms to relentlessly impersonate, intimidate and abuse them – sharing thousands of fake sexually explicit images of the victims along with their personal information and urging others to contact, shame and sextort them.
James Florence Jr., 37, was sentenced on July 23, 2025, by U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns to nine years in prison and 10 years of supervised release. In April 2025, Florence pleaded guilty to seven counts of cyberstalking and one count of possession of child pornography. Florence was arrested and charged by criminal complaint in September 2024 and has remained in custody since.
“This was not internet trolling. It was psychological torture – sustained, targeted, and deeply personal. For 16 years, this defendant tormented more than a dozen women who considered him a friend, a loved one or an ally and, at the stroke of a key, inflicted lasting harm that changed the way many of these women move through the world. And he did it all while hiding, cowardly, behind a keyboard. Now, he’ll face the consequences of that cruelty behind bars for the better part of the next decade,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “The courage of the victims in this case is extraordinary and it’s their strength that made justice possible here. Our office will continue to do everything in our power to unmask and hold predators like this accountable.”
“James Florence Jr. is a serial cyber stalker who led a double life, weaponizing modern technology to debase, destroy and traumatize more than a dozen women, many of whom were family and close friends, for over a decade. What he did was sickening, demented, and cruel, and he’ll now pay for it with his freedom,” said Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division. “Cyberstalking is a serious crime, and you can be sure the FBI will work to unmask and bring to justice anyone who uses today’s technology in such a despicable way.”
According to court filings, Florence targeted women he knew personally as well as acquaintances – stealing photos from their online accounts and digitally altering the images to make the victims appear nude or engaged in sexual acts. Florence would then post the doctored images publicly alongside the victims’ names, home addresses and other identifying details. For nearly all seven victims, Florence’s cyberstalking campaigns included:
- Creating “imposter” social media accounts designed to appear as if they were operated by the victims themselves;
- Posting sexually explicit, AI-generated or photoshopped images of victims, often tagging the victims’ real accounts to maximize exposure;
- Publishing victims’ personal information, including driver’s license photos, home addresses and professional affiliations, with messages urging others to humiliate and expose them;
- Using hacked and compromised personal accounts to surveil victims and gain access to additional private content;
- Attempting to sell doctored nude images of one victim online; and
- Setting up notifications to monitor any changes to victims’ online biographies.
Florence often prompted strangers to contact the victims directly – with some unknown senders demanding that the victims produce real sexually explicit content under threat of distributing the doctored images to friends, family and professional contacts.
For one of the victims, Florence used the name, image and other personal identifying information to program at least three AI-driven chatbots to interact with strangers across multiple platforms in sexually explicit conversations and disclose how to contact or find the victim. For another victim, he created a false online persona describing her sexual preferences, fabricated stories about sex toys and equipment in her home and posted her home address inviting strangers to contact her for sex.
Florence also designed a collage of digitally altered images depicting one victim nude, which he posted to a website alongside her full personal information, encouraging viewers to “Post & Share Her Everywhere. Make The Whore Famous.”
Many of Florence’s victims continue to receive harassing and threatening messages from unknown individuals who encountered the content he created and distributed online.
Additionally, the following items were uncovered during a search of Florence’s residence in Plymouth in September 2024:
- Dozens of pairs of women’s underwear and socks stolen from his victims;
- A custom phone case featuring the image of one of the victims;
- At least 11 digital wallpapers of his victims stored on his phone;
- At least one photo of a victim taken when she was a minor; and
- 62 images and four videos of child sexual abuse material, depicting minor female victims between the ages of approximately eight and 15 years old.
Florence used his expertise to employ several techniques to hide his online identity and criminal activities. According to court filings, Florence was an Information Technology professional who had worked for 10 years at MIT Lincoln Laboratory and had a DoD “Secret” clearance. With this knowledge, he employed a variety of tactics to evade law enforcement – via VPN services, anonymous overseas “revenge porn” websites and encrypted foreign email providers that do not respond to U.S. legal process or retain identifying records.
If you or someone you know is a victim of cyberstalking, please visit: Office for Victims of Crime | What can I do if I am a victim of stalking?
U.S. Attorney Foley and FBI SAC Docks made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Norfolk and Plymouth Police Departments and the Plymouth Fire Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Luke A. Goldworm, Project Safe Childhood Coordinator and a member of the Major Crimes Unit, is prosecuting the case.