Man arrested on suspicion of revenge porn after circulating nude photos of woman, police say
A 25-year-old man was arrested last week on suspicion of circulating revenge porn to a woman’s acquaintances and co-workers in an effort to extort her after she refused to perform sexual favors, authorities said.
Detectives on Saturday arrested Yair Guadalupe Velazquez, according to the Simi Valley Police Department.
Police said the situation began about a year ago when Velazquez became upset with his on-again, off-again girlfriend and emailed a nude photo of her to her former colleagues. Police said he began extorting the woman for sexual favors and threatened to send out additional risqué photos to friends and family members if she refused.
Last month, the woman rebuffed one of Velazquez’s requests and, in retaliation, he sent a nude photo of her to her friends and family members, police said.
He is expected to appear in Ventura County Superior Court on Feb. 22, according to jail records.
California is one of several states that have enacted cyber exploitation laws in recent years to push back against individuals who distribute revealing photos of victims online without their consent.
The state’s “revenge porn” law makes the crime a misdemeanor. For it to be considered a crime requires a person to intentionally and publicly distribute unauthorized nude photos knowing that they will cause emotional distress.
In December 2014, Noe Iniguez was the first person to be convicted under the California law after prosecutors said he posted a topless photograph of his ex-girlfriend on her employer’s Facebook page without her consent. He was sentenced to a year in jail.
For breaking California news, follow @HannahFryTCN on Twitter.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
