One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Revenge Porn Site Operator Arrested for California Offenses
Attorney General Kamala Harris at a May 17, 2013 news conference (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
Just in time for Valentine’s Day: The owner and operator of a revenge porn website was arrested Thursday night.Attorney General Kamala Harris announced the arrest Friday of Casey E. Meyering, 28, of Tulsa, Okla. More than 400 sexually explicit photos of Californians were posted on WinByState.com, with victims being extorted for money for their removal.
Meyering was arrested in Tulsa by agents with the California Attorney General’s eCrime Unit alongside local officers in Tulsa. Meyering’s is currently being held without bail in Oklahoma, and Harris’ office is seeking his extradition to California in an ongoing crackdown on so-called “revenge porn” sites.
“This behavior is the very definition of predatory and this website made a game out of humiliating victims for profit,” Harris said. “These actions at their core are about one individual exploiting the privacy and trust of others for financial gain."
Meyering is being charged with five felony counts of extortion, with all of the alleged victims from Calfornia, though the site has forums for all 50 states. He could face up to six years in state prison.
Revenge porn was outlawed in California last October.
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
