A Navy Lieutenant Commander was sentenced on March 12 to more than three years in prison after being found guilty of cyberstalking his ex-wife and her boyfriend, according to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland.
The case highlights the seriousness with which federal authorities are treating cyberstalking offenses, especially when they involve repeated harassment and false allegations that impact victims' personal and professional lives.
Jason Michael Leidel, 45, of Silver Spring, Maryland, received a sentence of 41 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. The sentencing came after a two-week trial in December 2025 where a federal jury convicted Leidel of cyberstalking. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Kelly O. Hayes along with officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General (DOT OIG), Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD), and Virginia Beach Police Department (VBPD).
Court documents and evidence presented at trial showed that Leidel sent emails containing false allegations in an attempt to have his ex-wife fired from her job as a special education teacher at a public school. He also tried to have his ex-wife and their children evicted from their home and repeatedly filed false child protective services claims against her. When his ex-wife began dating another individual, Leidel filed additional false claims alleging child abuse by the new partner and emailed that person's supervisors with similar accusations in an effort to get him investigated or fired. This pattern of harassment continued for several years until law enforcement intervened.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the efforts of all agencies involved in investigating the case and thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chris Sarma and Ken Clark for prosecuting it.
For more information about resources available through the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, readers can visit justice.gov/usao-md or justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
