ROCKVILLE, Md. — A 28-year old former Marine reservist appeared in Montgomery County Circuit Court Friday and accepted a plea deal, admitting he stole compromising photos of women online and tried to blackmail his victims.
Mauricio Cerruto-Rios, of Silver Spring, pleaded guilty to one count of illegal access to a computer and was sentenced to 18 months in jail.
“This individual hacked the computers, emails and Facebook postings of various women,” said Ramon Korionoff, with the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office.
According to prosecutors, Cerruto-Rios obtained nude photographs of his victims, then threatened them, demanding more pictures or information on other women.
Only one victim has stepped forward but prosecutors believe there could be as many as 100 others, and additional charges are possible in the future.
“He’s a good person, but he did a bad thing,” argued defense attorney Luiz Simmons.
Cerruto-Rios served in the Marine reserves and most recently worked as a contractor for the Department of Homeland Security. Due to the charges against him, he lost his job and his security clearance.
