LAS VEGAS — The 18-year sentence that “revenge porn” site operator Kevin Bollaert received last week on 21 counts of identity theft and six counts of extortion was “wildly excessive,” said Marc Randazza, the attorney who successfully waged two federal suits against him and his associate.
Bollaert and associate Eric Chanson posted more than 10,000 nude photos of women on UGotPosted.com, and then charged victims to remove them.
Randazza of Randazza Legal Group, who was instrumental in taking down UGotPosted.com as well as Hunter Moore’s IsAnyoneUp.com — both revenge porn sites — told XBIZ that he thinks two to three years would have been appropriate in sentencing for Bollaert, which took place at San Diego Superior Court.
Randazza represented several victims involved in Bollaert and Chanson’s scheme. In two civil suits filed at federal courts in California and Ohio on behalf of several Jane Does, Randazza’s clients received default judgments of $900,000 and $385,000 against the pair.
“I despise this guy and his practices as much as anyone,” he said. “I've spent hours and hours on the phone with his victims. I see the human element to his crimes I agree that he was an extortionist and should go to jail for it, but 18 years is wildly excessive.
Randazza noted that Bollaert is 28 years old and will be 46 when he gets out of state prison.
“I don't think that's right — even for a sociopath like him,” he said. “The prosecution only asked for 10 years. I think two to three years would have been appropriate, if he paid restitution to his victims, and perhaps 10 if he declined to or claimed he was not able to (his family seems to have money).
“But 18 years? I actually feel bad for the guy,” he said.
Bollaert also must pay $10,000 in restitution to his victims, while Chanson has not so much as been called to the stand.