x
Breaking News
More () »

Man sentenced to more than 14 years for stalking women in Colorado

Investigators said Eric Bolduan set up multiple email accounts, identified hundreds of potential victims and targeted women randomly.
Credit: File photo

A Minnesota man who was accused of stalking and making threats against women across the country, including four in Colorado, has been sentenced to more than 14 years in federal prison. 

Eric Bolduan, a software engineer from Rochester, Minnesota, was handed down the sentence in federal court on Jan. 24, U.S. Attorney Jason R. Dunn and FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Dean Phillips announced Friday in a news release.

In one case, Bolduan sent emails and text messages threatening to kill a female student at the University of Colorado Boulder and her sister, the release said. He then posted pictures of the victim’s face on pornography websites, along with listing her contact information.  

PREVIOUS | Man accused of harassing dozens of women across U.S., including some in Colorado

To do this, investigators say Bolduan would download his victim's pictures from sites like Instagram and then found pornographic pictures of women who looked like them before uploading the photos to porn sites.

Bolduan then sent messages to the victim, stating his intent to spend his free time "hunting you!" and writing "I will find you and watch you - sticking to the shadows, learning your patterns. When the time is right I will strike...," the news release says. 

The U.S. Attorney's Office said that after some victims came forward, the FBI got involved. Federal agents tracked Bolduan to Rochester, Minnesota where he lives and carried out a search warrant in June. 

Investigators later learned that Bolduan set up multiple email accounts, identified hundreds of potential victims and targeted women randomly.

In each case, Boulduan used an anonymizer in an attempt to prevent his victims from learning his actual name or from knowing where the threatening messages were coming from, the release says. 

"The victims in this case experienced real and profound suffering because of the acts of this defendant," United States Attorney Jason Dunn said. "It's possible that more young women have been victimized but just haven't been able to identify their assailant. We encourage anyone who has experienced this kind of threat to call the FBI."

Bolduan pleaded guilty without a plea agreement on Sept. 6, 2018 to three counts of stalking and three counts of interstate communications  After serving his sentence, Bolduan will be required to register as a sex offender.

Bolduan's criminal history goes back to 1993, when he was convicted of criminal sexual conduct in Minnesota and for indecent exposure in 2004. 

SUGGESTED VIDEOS | Local stories from 9NEWS

Before You Leave, Check This Out