Portland, Maine: United States Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II announced that Makwan Jaff, 35, of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to interstate stalking.
According to the criminal complaint affidavit and evidence introduced at the plea hearing, Jaff previously attended medical school in Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis (“St. Kitts"). Between Feb. 11, 2014 and June 25, 2014, with the intent to harass or intimidate a female former medical school classmate, Jaff created about five Facebook accounts in the victim’s name (or variations of her name with added words, such as “slut" and “whore") and put pictures of her in them without her knowledge or permission. Once the Facebook accounts were deleted by the victim, Jaff sent threatening email and Facebook private messages to her and her immediate family. During these communications from St. Kitts, Jaff threatened to harm the victim and another classmate who were attending school in Scarborough, Maine from May 2014 until June 2014.
During some of the communication sent to the victim while she was in Maine, Jaff threatened: “Let me tell you what I am gonna do when I get home; rent a car first thing and come to [M]ain[e]….It is only a 24 hours drive...I won’t stop believe me I will f**k your world upside down!...I will turn your life in to a living hell…I will not go away I will f**k with you for the rest of your f**ken life…Keep thinking I am playing game till I hit where it f**ken hurts!"
Jaff’s conduct caused substantial emotional distress to the victim and her immediate family. Jaff also sent hundreds of email messages to the classmate about the victim, many of which were similarly threatening and harassing.
Jaff faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He will be sentenced after completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
