Mugshot.com owners arrested for pay-for-removal scheme that ‘profits off people’s humiliation’
Three out of four individuals allegedly behind the website Mugshots.com were arrested on Wednesday on charges of extortion, money laundering, and identity theft.
On Wednesday, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra filed criminal charges against the alleged owners, Sahar Sarid, Kishore Vidya Bhavnanie, Thomas Keesee, and David Usdan.
Sarid and Keesee were arrested in Florida, Bhavnanie was arrested in Pennsylvania. Usdan is suspected to be in Connecticut, where his arrest warrant will be served.
The website gathers data from police and sheriffs’ department websites, collecting individuals’ names, booking photos and charges. From there, they publish the information online without the persons’ consent.
“Once subjects request that their booking photos be removed, they are routed to a secondary website called Unpublisharrest.com and charged a “de-publishing” fee to have the content removed. Mugshots.com does not remove criminal record information until a subject pays the fee,” the AG’s Office said.
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Sub-human trash finally gets paid back! Hopefully, they will be forced to pay restitution (both compensatory and punitive) to their victims, including those who were only listed on the site and didn’t pay for removal (myself, included). However, I’d also like to see them behind bars with some of the guys they’ve listed on their site. Sadly, I believe that scumbags Chuck Rodrick and Brent Olsterblad (offendex.com, etc.), after having been sued extensively, are still scamming people.
The ability to operate websites will be over for Chuck and Brent soon. I promise you this.
There are things I know that I cannot talk about.
I promised one day Mugshots owners would be next after Rodrick but never imagined they would be first. I successfully identied 2 of 4 by name all the way back in 2011.
There is no escaping what is about to happen to these cyberbullies.
This mugshot story ties into a related issue impacting SO’s . This public shaming has a direct $ impact on Real Estate values. Almost factually accurate but useless to the point of being a disservice to the people depending on the info and that is another whole story on the useless and pointless nature of the registry
https://www.inman.com/2014/04/25/sex-offender-data-threatening-home-values-tarnishing-neighborhoods-and-frustrating-real-estate-agents/
IIRC, there was a civil case in Texas a couple of years back where one of these pimps god his butt handed to him. Like $3 million for refusing to remove someone’s listing as an RSO when he was not. I recall that the jury found for an actual RSO too, but no damages because he was actually registered.
The only difference between this and the SOR is they would charge to remove your information where the SOR charges to keep it up dated which is even worse. I would much rather be charged to have my name removed. Our government is worse than the criminals there going after.
How can they say it’s wrong for an individual to do this but ok for the government to do it. That is who there copying
The government does not charge you for removal.
No but I thought I read some governments charge or want to charge for things like updating routine information or status changes that’s worse
Currently the State of Florida does not charge anything.
FAC, very true, but, more and more counties are charging to keep us on it !
Correct – if it becomes prevalent, we can fundraise for a legal challenge.
Missouri charges for every change you make when you update information. I think it’s been deemed unconstitutional by state courts but countys do it anyway.
Nor does it give the option 🙁
Great news. Maybe one day the FL AG will have enough gall to arrest Ron book. Oh wait, our AG is still Pamela jo Blondie. What am I thinking??
I love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!