© WPRI
Steven Gravier, 41, an officer with the Richmond Police Department, was issued a federal arrest warrant on Thursday for using misleading domain names on the internet.
According to a report from the Rhode Island State Police, several law enforcement agencies - including the State Police Computer Crimes Unit, the U.S. Attorney's Office and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service - conducted an investigation at the request of Richmond Police Chief Elwood Johnson, Jr.
The investigation led police to issue Gravier purchased domain names featuring Chief Johnson's name and intentionally made those sites lead to adult websites.
Gravier was arraigned on Thursday and released on $10,000 bond. According to police, Gravier was suspended without pay.
He faces up to two years in prison and/or a monetary fine.
Comment: Hundreds, perhaps thousands of people are harassed online by stalkers using "misleading domain names" ....and the authorities do absolutely nothing to help them. However, when a Police Chief is the target, cyberstalking suddenly becomes a crime worthy of investigation by Federal authorities.