Defendant used 62 accounts across nearly 30 online platforms to harass and impersonate victims; Posted thousands of fake, AI-generated, or photoshopped pornographic images of the victims and their personal information 

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS  –  [D.O.J. MEDIA STATEMENT / NO BOOKING PHOTO PROVIDED] – A Plymouth, Mass. man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to cyberstalking more than a half dozen Massachusetts women between 2008 and 2024. Two of the victims were minors when the defendant began cyberstalking them. The defendant preyed on women in his life, exploiting their relationships and going to great lengths to betray and terrorize them.

James Florence Jr., 37, pleaded guilty to seven counts of cyberstalking and one count of possession of child pornography. U.S. District Court Judge Richard G. Stearns scheduled sentencing for July 23, 2024. Florence was arrested and charged by criminal complaint in September 2024 and has remained in custody since.

Beginning as early as 2008, Florence engaged in elaborate, sustained online harassment campaigns that included hacking into victims’ personal accounts, creating more than 60 accounts across nearly 30 platforms which he used to disseminate thousands of doctored or AI-generated sexually explicit images.

According to court filings [CLICK HERE], Florence targeted women he knew personally, as well as acquaintances, stealing photos from their accounts, digitally altering them to appear nude or engaged in sexual acts and then posting them publicly alongside their 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.

According to court filings, Florence has significant knowledge of computers having previously been employed at software companies as well as at an emerging technology organization where he performed work for the United States government. 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?

The charge of stalking by electronic means provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of possession of child pornography provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and James Crowley, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. The Plymouth Police Department and Plymouth Fire Department provided valuable assistance in the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Luke A. Goldworm of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

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