Kevin Bollaert, 29, has had his 18-year sentence for operating a 'revenge porn' website reduced to eight years in prison followed by 10 years of mandatory supervision
A judge has reduced the sentenced of a San Diego man who was convicted of operating a ‘revenge porn’ website and then charging victims to remove their nude pictures and personal information.
Kevin Bollaert, 29, was convicted of 21 counts of identity theft and six counts of extortion in San Diego Superior Court in February.
He was later sentenced to 18 years in prison in county jail under California’s public safety realignment law.
But on Monday, Superior Court judge adjusted Bollaert’s sentence to eight years in prison, to be served in a local jail, followed by 10 years of mandatory supervision.
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The decision, which the judge described as a difficult one, will reduce the time Bollaert spends behind bars but will keep him on probation for a decade after his release.
Three victims, Emily (left), Natlie Coco (center) and Megan Borash (right) spoke out on how having their pictures and information posted on the website affected them
Bollaert ran a website called ugotposted.com where jilted lovers and hackers could anonymously post nude pictures of men and women without their consent - along with their names and other information, such as where they live and work.
More than 10,000 images – mainly of women – were posted on the site between December 2012 and September 2013.
Bollaert broke down in tears at his sentencing hearing in San Diego earlier this year. He was given 18 years at the time, with the judge saying the sentence accurately reflected the amount of victims he hurt
Some of the victims appeared in court, anonymously, to read victim impact statements with of them saying their lives had been irrevocably ruined by Bollaert and his site
And when victims contacted ugotposted.com, they were directed to Bollaert’s other site – changemyreputation.com – where they were told they would have to pay hundreds of dollars to have their pictures removed.
In some cases, the compromising images of victims, which included wives and teachers, cost them their jobs, damaged relationships and led to one attempted suicide.
Investigators found that Bollaert received thousands of distressed emails from his victims, one who said she was 'scared for my life'.
The criminal complaint named more than two dozen people as victims, one of whom claimed she was thrown out of her home after her family found out nude photos had been posted of her.
'It ruined my life and I'm still going through it,' she testified. 'I lost my family. They think that I brought shame on them. My reputation is ruined.'
Bollaert earned about $900 in ad revenue from the websites and collected about $30,000 from victims, who were each charged between $250 and 4350 to take down the explicit content.
Victim Megan Borash said that after the guilty verdict came in she realized that what she did was not wrong and that she was 'not ashamed of what' she did+
His case was the first time a person had been tried for running a revenge porn ring in the United States.
On Monday, his laywer argued local jail is not suitable for Bollaert as programs that could help his rehabilitation are not available there and asked the judge to reconsider the new sentence.
Deputy Public Defender Emily Rose-Weber told the judge that all her client can do at the George Bailey Detention Facility is read, watch television, attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings or enrol in a general education program.
She said Bollaert, who already has a high school diploma, has been told correspondence courses to complete his college degree are not available in local jails.
Both Rose-Weber and the judge had initially believed Bollaert would be sent to a jail where he could participate in education or vocational programs, the Union-Tribune reported.
However, he is not eligible for the programs due to the length of his sentence.
But prosecutors argued against sentencing defendants based on how jails are run.
Deputy Attorney General Tawnya Boulan Austin added Bollaert’s victims would be serving a sentence ‘for the rest of their lives’.
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