A Virginia man who is accused of sending harassing messages directed at Mayor G.T. Bynum to influence the cancellation of President Donald Trump’s June rally here was charged Friday with cyberstalking.
Adam Maxwell Donn, 40, of Norfolk, Virginia, made an initial appearance in federal court in the Eastern District of Virginia and is to appear in the Northern District of Oklahoma court on Wednesday.
Donn is accused of sending Bynum and his family 44 emails and calling 14 times from June 11-22, communications that “were meant to harass, annoy, threaten and intimidate Bynum and his family,” court documents allege.
“The United States charged Adam Donn with stalking, harassing, intimidating, and inflicting emotional distress upon Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum and his family. Mr. Donn allegedly sent a series of harassing emails and voicemails in an effort to intimidate the mayor into canceling the presidential rally that occurred here in June,” U.S. Attorney Trent Shores said in a statement.
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Bynum reported the emails and calls to the Tulsa Police Department on June 18. According to an affidavit filed by an FBI agent, investigators found that the emails were linked to an IP address traced to Donn and that email addresses tied to him were used to send messages to Bynum and his wife, Susan Bynum.
Court documents allege that Donn threatened to publish the Bynums’ home address and personal information, including their children’s cellphone numbers and social media account information, on the internet.
Donn, prosecutors allege, committed the actions with “the hope that people would encroach upon the Bynum residence” with the intent to cause the mayor harm and emotional distress.
In an email sent to Bynum on June 19, Donn is alleged to have written that he hoped Bynum’s family contracted COVID-19. Donn also threatened to possibly “show up to Bynum’s next bible study.” On another occasion, Dunn reportedly asked Susan Bynum whether she would be home so he could meet her.
Court filings also indicated that Donn posed as Susan Bynum and sent emails to her colleagues through a business website she operated.
“Cyberstalkers try to hide behind keyboards while they threaten and intimidate others, but their online actions have real-world effects,” Shores said. “Mr. Donn will now face the real-world consequences for his alleged criminal actions.”
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