Detroit federal officials charged a former student Tuesday for illegally obtaining nude photos of more than a dozen women and threatening to distribute them.
Adam Savader, 21, is in federal custody in New York, facing charges of cyberstalking and extortion. He allegedly sent threatening messages anonymously to 15 women between May 2012 and February 2013, according to a release from the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Police officers from Ann Arbor, Michigan initiated the investigation after an alleged victim came forward and said someone had hacked her email account and obtained nude photos.
With the help of FBI investigators, the detectives then identified 15 victims in the District, Detroit and Long Island, New York. The Washington Post reported that many of the victims are “college students who knew Savader.”
When Savader used a Google Voice account to message one girl last fall, he threatened to send nude pictures of her to the Republican National Committee, her parents and her sorority if she didn’t send more photos, according to the complaint filed by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.
He also allegedly texted another girl last fall: “do u want ur family and everyone in DC to see ur tits? Just agree to e-mail me a pic of u in a bra.”
Savader transferred to GW as a sophomore in fall 2010, and University spokeswoman Michelle Sherrard said Savader was a student through spring 2012. He was featured in a story in GW Today, the University’s newsletter, in February 2012 for his work on Newt Gingrich’s presidential campaign.
The 21-year-old is also well-known on the campaign trail, previously interning for former presidential candidates Gingrich and Mitt Romney, as well as vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan.
Alexander Miller, chairman for GW College Republicans, said Savader was a member of the student organization but his involvement was “minimal.”
If convicted, he could face up to five years in prison, according to the FBI release.
Brianna Gurciullo contributed to this report.
