Gerald Hanks
Earlier this year, a Houston woman said she learned a person using a fake Facebook account posted her most intimate photos on the social network site.
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The woman, who did not want her name to be released, told a local TV station a friend informed her about the account and the photos, as well as the captions, which alleged she carries a sexually transmitted disease.
“Honestly, it’s too offensive to even say. It’s too humiliating and demeaning and very untrue,” she said in an interview. “It’s hard to believe people out there … to try to ruin you.”
The woman said she didn’t know who created the account, but the photos do belong to her, admitting to taking them as a gift during a previous relationship.
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“I was in a dating relationship,” she said further. “You take pictures for your spouse. You never in a million years expect somebody to make something so private so public.”
She reportedly contacted Facebook to get the photo taken down for over a month, but with little success until the local TV station launched an investigative report into the incident.
The perpetrator, who reportedly still remains unknown, is evidently well-acquainted with the victim:
An investigation revealed the account holder accessed the data and tagged several of the victim’s family members to ensure they saw the explicit picture.
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Texas’ “revenge porn” law makes it illegal to distribute explicit images of someone without their consent. Violators can be sentenced to up to a year in jail and/or a fine of up to $4,000, per its text.
Authorities with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office said they are investigating the incident; the district attorney’s office said it is not speculating at this time on whether the case will qualify under the “revenge porn” law until the investigation is complete.
