Tech security expert uses his skills to torment ex-roommate, Washington officials say
A Washington cyber security expert used his tech skills to harass and threaten a former roommate and authorities in an “extensive campaign” of often profanity-laced messages that went on for more than a year, court documents say.
He eventually worked with other people to conspire and send messages to at least a dozen victims, including an email that threatened to “humiliate, kill and rape” the roommate, a federal indictment states.
Sumit Garg, 31, of Seattle, was indicted on Wednesday by a federal grand jury on multiple felony counts of stalking and cyberstalking, according to a news release from the Justice Department, Western District of Washington.
Garg, who worked as a computer security consultant, initiated the cyberstalking conspiracy in June 2019 against a female roommate known as “Victim-1,” the indictment states.
He lived in a two-bedroom apartment with his wife and the roommate and is accused of sneaking into her bedroom and reading her diary, which contained “intimate details” about her private life and personal relationships.
Garg nicknamed Victim-1 as “Spicy” and sent her many text messages with sexual innuendo, while also telling her he suffered from a disorder that “caused him to have angry verbal outbursts,” the indictment states.
During a dispute with the roommate on June 22, 2019, he had an outburst and later sent her a long email, in which he “apologized for his misconduct and confessed his feelings for Victim-1,” according to the indictment.
Victim-1 had another dispute with Garg over a plan for a friend of hers to visit later that month, which frightened her so much she left the apartment. In early July, she filed for a protection order against Garg and moved out.
On July 19, 2019, Garg signed a settlement in which he “agreed not to engage in any stalking, cyberstalking and physical or electronic surveillance, among other things.”
In November 2020, Garg was charged in King County with felony stalking and cyberstalking related to Victim-1.
But during that same month, authorities said he and others — both known and unknown to the grand jury — began to use phone calls, text messages and social media to harass and threaten the former roommate, her uncle (who is also her attorney), her boyfriend, a Seattle detective investigating the case and a King County prosecutor, among others.
“Garg used his computer skills to try to hide who was sending the threats or making the posts,” the release stated.
Among the accusations made against Garg and/or others he conspired with:
November 2019: Conspiracy used information Garg obtained from Victim-1’s personal diary to attack her character in emails sent to a charity she worked with, saying she had affairs with married men.
February 2020: Conspiracy set up social media accounts that impersonated the roommate and current or former boyfriends mentioned in her diary. Fake email accounts were also set up to send friend requests to the roommate, her friends and her co-workers and to comment on posts made by the roommate. The emails also threatened to “humiliate, rape and kill Victim-1.”
June 2020: Garg filed numerous false police reports to “create the impression that [he] was the victim of harassment from Victim-1 and others.”
October 2020: Conspiracy sent a vulgar, profanity-laced text message to the Victim-1. Conspiracy sent a text to Victim-2 (1’s uncle and attorney) threatening to rape Victim-1 and Victim-2’s wife. Conspiracy sent an email to Victims -1, -2 and -3 (1’s boyfriend) that stated, in part, “A girl went on a walk and never came back. A roommate with a grudge ended her misery.”
December 2020: Conspiracy sent an email about Victim-9 (police detective) to Victims 1, 3 and others, asking “Do you really think this Chinese [expletive] can catch me? Conspiracy sent a threatening, profanity-laced email with a vulgar subject line and a photo of Victim-9 and her husband to Victims 1, 2, 3 and others.
February 2021: Conspiracy sent email to many of the victims, King County judges and others, with the subject line, “Judges, prosecutors, lawyers killed.” The email included a numbered list of judges and prosecutors who purportedly had been assassinated, with No. 31 and 32 left blank, explaining “let us call them to be determined.” Conspiracy sent an email to the prosecutor, Victim-1’s mother and others with the subject line “King County prosecutors begging for mercy” and a message saying prosecutors would be “brought to their knees by a cyber criminal.”
A grand jury indicted Garg on charges of conspiracy to engage in cyberstalking, cyberstalking in violation of a criminal order and cyberstalking. He is being held in the Federal Detention Center at SeaTac and is scheduled to be arraigned March 25.
This story was originally published March 18, 2021 at 5:24 PM with the headline "Tech security expert uses his skills to torment ex-roommate, Washington officials say."