SLO District Attorney cracks down on cyber crimes
The San Luis Obispo District Attorney’s office is cracking down on cyber crimes.
They filed charges, for the first time, against a man alleged of pretending to be someone else on Facebook.
“Technology was being used in a way to anonymously hide the identity of the true person making it look like it was someone else,” said SLO District Attorney Dan Dow.
36 year old David Platek, could face up to four years in county jail if convicted.
He faces two counts of felony identity theft and a misdemeanor charge of electronic impersonation.
Dow said this case is setting a precedent.
“People can be held accountable for what they do online,” vowed Dow.
The District Attorneys special cyber unit, the Central Coast Cyber Forensic Lab, is the organization that lead law enforcement to file the charges. They use advanced technologies to find and prove cyber crimes.
“We do have the tools and resources to expose the criminal element that is out there hiding behind their computers in the dark web,” explained SLO County Sheriffs Office Computer Forensic Examiner Chris Fitzpatrick.
Prosecutors said they were made aware of the Facebook post by residents.
“Two concerned members of the community reached out to the District Attorneys office and said here is this person who appears to be a potential sex offender in our community,” said Dow.
Officials believe there were multiple instances of the fake account being used to impersonate Rice.
Something Dow says won’t be tolerated.
“Thank goodness that our technologies in law enforcement are advancing rapidly. The community can know that they are protected and that someone can’t hide away in the shadows of the internet and commit identity theft,” said Dow.
The year-long investigation that lead to the charges were in collaboration with Cal Poly and various enforcement agencies.
“It’s a great example of how a collaboration between law enforcement and universities like Cal Poly and the State Attorney Generals office can really advance the capabilities of local law enforcement,” said Dow.
Platek’s attorney alleges his client’s freedom of speech rights are in question and alluded to foul play within law enforcement associations to the alleged victim Rice.