‘I know where u sleep’ — Jersey City, NJ man charged with cyberstalking former colleagues
After being terminated from an investment bank for violating its code of conduct, a Jersey City man began threatening death and injury to at least four former colleagues via text message and other electronic communications, according to documents revealed by the U.S. Attorney General's Office for the District of New Jersey.
Gawargyous (George) Shind, 31, was arrested Wednesday and charged with cyberstalking.
According to officials, Shind engaged in a pattern of harassment from April 2020 to November 2021, through which he sent messages to former female colleagues, referring to himself as a "predator" and stating his intention to kill them and their families.
The threats suggest that the recipients of Shind's messages were the ones who reported his alleged inappropriate behavior to the bank. He was let go from the bank, located in Jersey City, in May 2019.
Below is a sample of the messages obtained by law enforcement from four victims. They originated from prepaid cell phones and an online platform, according to officials. Complete messages can be found here (Warning: There is foul and violent language used).
Ur prey and I'm the predator. Don't ever forget I know where u sleep. ... I'll be the last person u ever cooperated against.
I hope your mom catches COVID-19 and your siblings get orphaned.
I'm never letting this go. The day will come where I'm catching you walking by your lonesome. ... I swear I'm going to leave you a bloody mess then we can call it even.
You and I will be seeing each other soon. ... I bet your eyes stay glued to the ground and the feeling of fear overwhelms you.
According to officials, Shind had been arrested in June 2020 for his threatening behavior toward one of the victims. He was admitted to the pretrial intervention program in Bergen County Superior Court for a period of two years, but started sending more threatening messages just weeks after his admittance, officials said.
Cyberstalking is punishable by five years in prison and a fine.
Dino Flammia is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at dino.flammia@townsquaremedia.com
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