“Revenge porn” case in Springfield could lead to extreme punishments

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) - A Springfield man could face seven years in prison and thousands of dollars in fines if he’s convicted of posting sexual pictures of a woman on social media.

Defense attorneys say crimes like these are increasing in Greene County since the law started three years ago and say even the threat of posting could lead to felony charges.

“If they intentionally disseminate sexual images with the intent of harassing or threatening the other individual, that is a Class D felony,” said Adam Woody, Springfield criminal defense attorney. “Laws were put in place as a response to the social media craze and the ease at which people can now transfer photos and videos.”

At the end of July, one Springfield woman says it happened to her.

Prosecutors charged Alexander Ditty with sharing nude photos of her on Facebook and texting them to her family after taking her phone. That simple push of a button could land Ditty in prison for up to seven years and face a $10,000 fine. According to prosecutors, Ditty’s posting and texting the images falls under the “nonconsensual dissemination” of private sexual images.

“To even threaten to do that to threaten to commit that offense, and there’s a separate statute which creates that it makes that class E felony,” said Woody. “Keep in mind as well this is a pornography-related offense, so it is considered a sex offense, so a person would have to register as a sex offender if convicted of under the statute as well.“

”People are trying to leverage another person or hurt another person when they’re doing it, and it’s important to know that it’s not just sharing pictures that can be classified as revenge porn, but also the threat to share the pictures,” said Jason Korner, criminal offense attorney. “It’s important to know that once images get out there, they’re hard to you can’t really rein them back in.”

Korner shared that if you are a victim, immediately seek help from law enforcement.

“I think the most important thing is that people do come forward, that they do contact law enforcement, and that they do it in a timely manner,” said Korner. “You should trust law enforcement to do their job and to keep things discreet, and that also goes for the prosecutors as well.”

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