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According to the United States Department of Justice, a 38-year-old Durham man may face up to 63 years in prison if convicted of cyberstalking five victims.
A federal grand jury indictment legally charged David Ryan Winters with cyberstalking the victims, according to a DOJ release on Wednesday. The indictment also accuses Winters of “targeting the victims due to their sexual orientation or gender identity.”
According to one of the five victims who allege Winters targeted them, the “harassment” started in 2016 and will go on until 2024.
According to the indictment, Winters’ principal mode of communication with the victims was text messaging. According to a DOJ announcement, Winters would send text messages that were both “harassing” and “intimidating.” He occasionally sent his communications to individuals who were close to the victims.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Blondel is prosecuting the cases as part of the ongoing efforts of the EDNC Civil Rights Team. The US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina established the team in 2022 and added two new, specialized civil rights prosecutors to the squad in 2023.
“Everybody has an equal right to live, work, worship, and love in America,” said U.S. Attorney Michael F. Easley, Jr. “We won’t tolerate those who threaten, stalk, or use violence just because they don’t like how somebody else lives. Everybody is treated equally and fairly under the law and we won’t normalize violence and intimidation. Our Civil Rights Team is squaring off against threats and hate-fueled violence of any kind and not slowing down.”
The EDNC team has also handled the following instances:
- The indictment of an Alabama man accused of cyberstalking an NC woman because of her sexual orientation.
- The arrest of a California man after making threats targeting multiple entities and individuals in N.C., including an elected official, members of law enforcement, and several synagogues.
According to the DOJ, the Raleigh and Durham Police Departments, the Wake County Sheriff’s Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are all still looking into Winters’ cases.
Anyone who has been a victim of cyberstalking should contact their local law enforcement agency or the FBI.
