Former Ryan campaign intern charged with nude picture blackmail scheme

Adam Savader allegedly threatened to publish nude pictures of 15 women unless they sent him more pictures

Topics: Paul Ryan, Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney, 2012 Elections, Republicans, Adam Savader,

Former Ryan campaign intern charged with nude picture blackmail scheme(Credit: AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Adam Savader, a former campaign intern to Paul Ryan and Newt Gingrich, was arrested and charged with “Internet extortion and cyber stalking,” for an alleged scheme to blackmail women with naked pictures of themselves.

From the FBI’s press release on the arrest:

According to the affidavit, from May 2012 through February 2013, Adam Paul Savader sent anonymous text messages using Google Voice numbers to 15 women stating that he had nude photographs of the women and threatening to distribute the nude photographs to the women’s friends and family members unless the women sent him more nude photographs of themselves. Savader sent some of the victims links to a photo-sharing website where nude pictures of the victims had been posted.

From the New York Daily News:

In one instance, the criminal complaint said, Savader threatened to send naked pictures of one of his victims to the Republican National Committee if she didn’t comply with his demands. She sometimes got as many as eight threatening texts a day, the document said.

Other texts to women are increasingly threatening and explicit, the complaint said, including one sent in October that said, “Do it from ur phone RIGHT NOW! I swear to God don’t be stupid. U don’t want every1 including your parents seeing your t–s (and) ass.”

If convicted, Savader faces up to five years in prison, according to the FBI’s release.

The New York Daily News reports that Savader was a political science student at the State University of New York at Farmingdale. The NYDN also posted pictures, reportedly from his Facebook page, of Savader posing with Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan and Newt and Calista Gingrich. On what is reportedly his Twitter account, Savader describes himself as “American Patriot. Reagan Republican. Formerly @PRyan’s sole intern on @MittRomney’s campaign and a @newtgingrich campaign staffer.”

 

Jillian Rayfield is an Assistant News Editor for Salon, focusing on politics. Follow her on Twitter at @jillrayfield or email her at jrayfield@salon.com.

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