A Philadelphia man allegedly gained access to nude photos on the cellphones of at least five people and later posted the stolen images online, the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General said Tuesday.
Tyler Jones, 33, faces multiple charges stemming from an investigation that was referred to the attorney general by the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office. Jones previously was convicted of secretly recording videos of women undressing in a bathroom — and later uploading the videos to porn sites — while he was a 19-year-old student at Villanova University in 2013.
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In the more recent case, prosecutors allege Jones illegally gained access to the phones of the victims and their partners to steal nude photos and post them on porn sites and social media apps. Investigators did not detail how and when the phones were accessed and his connections to the people he targeted.
”This is another example of cruel and despicable behavior by a repeat offender who continues to weaponize modern technology to expose victims online,” Attorney General David Sunday said.
In the 2013 case, Jones hid an iPhone in the bathroom of a vacation residence in Switzerland and filmed three women undressing. He later uploaded videos of two of the women on porn sites from his dorm room at Villanova, investigators said. Police learned about Jones’ activity when one of the women reported finding her video online. Another victim in that case was 17 years old at the time.
Jones pleaded guilty to felony child pornography charges and invasion of privacy in that case, prosecutors said.
In a federal lawsuit filed last year in New Jersey, one woman alleged she was one of at least eight people Jones had victimized since 2013. The woman’s suit says Jones repeatedly posted nude photos of her with identifying information on the 4Chan message board and apps including Discord and Telegram. She alleged she was harassed by people who viewed the images and struggled to have them scrubbed from the internet.
The Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General did not say whether the newly filed charges are connected to allegations made in the lawsuit.
Jones was charged Monday with unlawful use of a computer, unlawful duplication, misdemeanor invasion of privacy and unlawful dissemination, among dozens of other offenses. He was arraigned Tuesday morning with bail set at $350,000, and he has been ordered not to have contact with any of the people whose photos allegedly were stolen and posted online.