In what federal prosecutors are calling a case of "extreme cyberstalking," a Hawaii man has been arrested and will be extradited to Utah to face charges for harassing a family for more than a year.
Loren Okamura, 44, allegedly began cyberstalking Walt Gilmore and his family in early 2018.
Aside from sending multiple electronic death threats to Gilmore's adult daughter on a daily basis—emails, texts, and phone calls saying that she should "just kill [herself] and do [her] family a favor" and that she should "sleep with one eye open and keep looking over her shoulder"—he also sent hundreds of unwanted services to the family.
Unrequested prostitutes, tree-trimming companies, tow truck services, environmental cleanup companies and locksmiths, among other services, were sent to the Gilmores' home throughout 2018 and into 2019, ultimately more than 500 times in total. Utah police also told The Washington Post that they visited the Gilmore house more than 80 times from November 2018 to February 2019.
Okamura has also been accused of posting the Gilmore's adult daughter's address to Craigslist, as well as pictures of her.
The repeated arrival of so many unwanted delivery service drivers at the family's home ultimately resulted in the family, with police assistance, posting red and yellow signs telling any service driver attempting to deliver to their home to call the police and make a report if they were asked to provide services to the Gilmore residence.
Prosecutors have been tracking Okamura since January, when the Gilmore family received a protective injunction against him in a Utah court. He was difficult to find, even though a sealed indictment for him was issued on October 2, as he has no permanent address or job.
Okamura was eventually arrested in November after Utah officers flew to Honolulu and, with FBI agents, searched for him for 15 hours, eventually arresting him at a supermarket without incident. He was changed with cyberstalking, interstate threats and transporting people for prostitution.
He appeared in Hawaii federal court on Wednesday for a detention hearing, where extradition to Utah was recommended. He is currently being held without bail.
While Okamura had tried to conceal his identity with encryption and anonymous apps, ultimately the harassment was tied to his Apple ID and cell phone records, prosecutors said.
It's currently unclear why Okamura targeted the Gilmores, but prosecutors said in a press conference that his stalking was not a random act.
Okamura's attorney, Sharron Rancourt, said that Okamura's wife had died earlier in the year and told The Honolulu Star-Adviser it has been "a difficult situation and a difficult time for him and for his family."
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
