Press release from U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Joseph Alexander Valdez, 30, Chicago, Illinois, was sentenced to 96 months in federal prison after previously pleading guilty to one count of wire fraud, one count of aggravated identity theft, and one count of stalking in connection with his phishing scheme. The sentence was announced by Jason R. Coody, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

“The defendant’s calculated invasion of the victims’ privacy is both despicable and illegal,” said U.S. Attorney Coody. “Moreover, his attempts to shame, taunt, and in some instances extort his victims, demonstrate his predatory nature and desire to inflict harm. This sentence rightly punishes the defendant and should serve as a significant deterrent to others. With our law enforcement partners, we remain committed to identify and aggressively prosecute acts of online exploitation.”

Court documents reflect that between June 2021 and December 2022, Valdez identified college-aged females located throughout the United States—including two students at Florida State University and one student at the University of Florida—to deceive them into providing their Snapchat passwords.

Once he accessed the victims’ Snapchat accounts, Valdez took screenshots of the victims’ subscriber information—such as their name, phone number, email address—and downloaded their saved photographs, including private, nude photographs. In other instances, Valdez communicated in online chatrooms and forums with other individuals who used a similar scheme to unlawfully obtain the victims’ private, nude photographs stored on the victims’ Snapchat accounts and other social media platforms. These other individuals traded and shared photographs with Valdez.

“These types of crimes are often difficult to trace and challenging to prosecute,” said Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Revell. “However, this sentencing reinforces our commitment. Together with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners, we will relentlessly pursue justice for the victims and send a resounding message to others that predatory behavior of this nature will not be tolerated in Tallahassee.”

After obtaining the victims’ private photographs, Valdez contacted the victims to taunt them by bragging that he obtained their private photographs and by commenting on their bodies. In total, Valdez victimized and attempted to victimize over 700 women.

“Every day, thousands of unsuspecting social media users fall victim to online scammers, who are using a variety of sophisticated guises and techniques to collect personal information about their victims,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Mark Dargis of the FBI Jacksonville Division. “This sentencing exemplifies the commitment of the FBI to protect Americans and investigate and pursue those who seek to exploit them. We encourage anyone who believes they are a victim of an online scam or fraud to immediately report the incident to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov.”

Valdez’s prison sentence will be followed by three years of supervised release, and he was ordered to pay restitution to the victims.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Tallahassee Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Justin M. Keen prosecuted the case.