A California man is accused of using a University of Pittsburgh student’s intimate photos as blackmail in a monthslong pattern of coercion.
Michael Vaca, 19, was charged Wednesday with 55 counts of sexual extortion, terroristic threats, stalking, harassment and other crimes.
Police say he obtained these images last summer while “casually dating” the victim, who also lived in California prior to arriving at Pitt. She was 17 years old at the time, and has since turned 18.
Early in the fall semester, he began constantly texting and calling her over his belief she was having sex with other men, according to a criminal complaint. The victim noted in text messages they were never in a formal relationship, police said.
The behavior quickly escalated as Vaca sought additional intimate photos, according to court documents.
The complaint lists nearly 30 instances of sexual extortion, including threats to share the woman’s intimate images with others, kill her cat and call U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on the student, whose family immigrated from Ukraine.
After the woman visited Vaca over Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks, the threats changed in nature, police said. He was less persistent in seeking intimate photos, but tried to control details of her life, including who she followed on social media and who she talked to, according to the complaint.
In January, the woman contacted University of Pittsburgh police, sparking an investigation involving the FBI Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force and Allegheny County police.
Vaca is awaiting a preliminary hearing. He did not have an attorney listed in court documents.
