Camp Pendleton Marine Accused In 'Sextortion' Campaign Seeking Out Compromising Photos Of Women, Their Feet
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — An active-duty Marine stationed at Camp Pendleton was arrested Wednesday for allegedly stalking women in his hometown of Torrance who would not give in to his demands for sexually explicit photos of themselves and their feet.
A criminal complaint accused 25-year-old Johao Miguel Chavarri of Oceanside of stalking, harassing, and threatening women who would not send him nude, sexually explicit, or compromising photos and videos of themselves and their feet. Chavarri is scheduled to make his first appearance in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday afternoon.
According to federal prosecutors, Chavarri used the online alias "Michael Frito" between 2019 and 2021 to cyberstalk several women with ties to his former hometown of Torrance. Chavarri's alleged "sextortion" campaign included him demanding photos and videos of themselves, their feet, and for the women to respond and communicate with him online, according to an affidavit.
Prosecutors say Chavarri threatened to publish sexually explicit photos and videos online, or on well-known porn websites, or to distribute them to their boyfriends, friends, families or employers, whom he often identified by name, if they refused to comply with his demands. According to the complaint, Chavarri threatened several of the women on Instagram, promising to spend his "whole life ruining" their lives. Chavarri also allegedly created fake social media accounts that mimicked some of the victims' names to send harassing messages to the victim's friends and family members.
If convicted as charged, Chavarri faces a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison.
The FBI and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service continue to investigate the case. Anyone who believes they are a victim in this case or knows of a victim can contact the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office at (310) 477-6565.