PITTSBURGH, PA – A resident of Washington, PA, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh of cyberstalking, United States Attorney Cindy K. Chung announced today.
The one-count Indictment, returned on July 12, named Eric Scholl, 54, as the sole defendant.
According to Indictment, beginning around March 2021 and continuing through May 2022, after a domestic incident that led to his wife seeking a Pennsylvania Protection from Abuse Order against him, Scholl engaged in a cyberstalking campaign targeting his wife. Among other things, he placed a GPS tracking device on her car which tracked her movements; directed harassing and intimidating emails, texts, and phone calls to her, including using a web-based service that allowed him to disguise his phone number; posted lewd content about her on the internet; impersonated her in messages with others; accessed her mobile phone account and PayPal account without her permission; and threatened her through a text message he transmitted to a family member. Scholl engaged in this course of conduct, and other related and threatening activities, while subject to a domestic violence protection order against him. Scholl’s campaign placed his wife in fear of death or serious bodily injury and caused substantial emotional distress to her.
The law provides for a total sentence of not less than one but not more than ten years in prison, a fine of not more than $250,000, and a term of supervised release of three years. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Nicole Vasquez Schmitt is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Shaler Police Department conducted the investigation leading to the Indictment in this case.
An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.