Michigan Sex Crime Attorneys Blog
Joseph Ostrowski, a former high school football coach at Catholic High School in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, has been charged with tricking people into sex acts using the internet, specifically through Skype and Facebook. According to news reports, Ostrowski was charged in Pennsylvania in May with producing child pornography.
Ostrowski, who is 29 years old, remains in jail awaiting trial on the earlier charges. He was indicted by a Grand Rapids grand jury on Wednesday, August 29th, on one count of cyber-stalking. In May Ostrowski was charged with one count each of interstate communications of threats and sexual exploitation of children by Pennsylvania authorities.
According to prosecutors, Ostrowski used an electronic device to threaten a minor’s reputation with the intention of extorting money; he also used that device to transmit electronically the sexually explicit conduct he had enticed the minor to perform. These incidents allegedly occurred between December 31, 2011 and April 18, 2012.
The new indictment relates to the use of Skype and Facebook in which Ostrowski allegedly “took over” the Facebook accounts of individuals and subsequently blocked them from gaining access to their accounts. While residing in Pennsylvania, he allegedly used the hacked Facebook accounts to communicate with individuals in East Lansing, posing as the original Facebook account holders. Once in communication with residents, he persuaded them to perform sexually explicit acts over an internet video-telephone service, Skype. He recorded these acts and sent images to various other Facebook accounts from those that he originally compromised.
News reports state that it is not clear whether the Michigan and Pennsylvania cases are related.
Sex-related crimes are serious offenses which could result in substantial prison time and fines for those convicted. Michigan sex crimes defense attorneys know that without skilled legal representation, an individual’s life, career and reputation may be ruined forever.
Because internet sex crimes are often highly complex in nature, hiring the right attorney is critical to your future. If you have been arrested for criminal sexual conduct, child pornography, internet sex crimes or any offense that is sexual in nature, consult with an aggressive Michigan sex crime lawyer right away.