A New York man is facing federal cyberstalking charges following allegations that he shared AI-generated nude images and fabricated racist messages using fake social media profiles to harass a college student in Georgia. **Anthony Belford**, 21, was arraigned on June 10 after a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging him with one count of cyberstalking. ### The Campaign of Harassment According to court documents, **Belford** and the victim attended the same college during the 2023-2024 academic year. After the victim transferred to a Georgia college in August 2024, **Belford** allegedly continued his targeting campaign. Between January and March 2025, the defendant reportedly created fake profiles across multiple platforms, including **Instagram**, **LinkedIn**, **Reddit**, **X** (formerly Twitter), **Strava**, and **Yahoo**. These accounts were allegedly used to impersonate the victim, distribute AI-generated nude images, and spread false claims that the victim had made racist remarks about Black students and anti-Muslim statements. One particularly egregious act involved the creation of a fake **LinkedIn** profile using an AI-generated nude image of the victim as its profile picture. **Belford** is also accused of using a spoofed **Yahoo** email account to send an AI-generated nude image of the victim to the victim's mother. ### Law Enforcement Responds U.S. Attorney **Theodore S. Hertzberg** commented on the case, stating, "**Belford** allegedly waged a lengthy online campaign, hiding behind spoofed social media and email accounts to harass, intimidate, and cause substantial distress to his victim with racist messages and AI-generated nude images." **Hertzberg** emphasized the severity of such crimes, adding, "Cyberstalking and other forms of online abuse, just like physical violence, can ruin lives and disrupt communities. Victims of such crimes should not suffer in silence, and we will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to hold the perpetrators of these crimes accountable using all available tools." ### Legal Protections and Reporting The **Justice Department** has reiterated that federal law prohibits sharing or threatening to share intimate images, including AI-generated ones, without consent. Victims are urged to report violations to the **FBI** and to alert the **Federal Trade Commission (FTC)** if online platforms fail to remove such content within 48 hours of a removal request. Further information on how to protect against cyberstalking and stop the spread of non-consensually shared images and videos can be found on the **FTC's Take It Down** platform. ### Broader Trends in Cyberstalking This case is not isolated. In March, **Jamarcus Mosley**, 22, from Alabama, pleaded guilty to cyberstalking, extortion, and computer fraud charges after hacking into the social media accounts of hundreds of young women. The same month, **Kyle Svara**, 26, from Illinois, pleaded guilty to hacking nearly 600 women's **Snapchat** accounts to steal private nude photos that were subsequently traded or sold online. These incidents highlight a disturbing trend of digital harassment and underscore the critical need for robust cybersecurity measures and increased awareness among users to protect their digital identities and privacy.