Rhode Island man facing up to 5 years in prison for cyberstalking ex-wife in Maine, Maryland

A Rhode Island man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court to cyberstalking, U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee announced.

According to court records, between March 2019 and September 2019, 63-year-old Larry Spencer, of Providence, Rhode Island and formerly of Maryland, cyberstalked his former spouse. The victim ended their brief marriage in 2016 and filed for a restraining order in Maryland. Despite the restraining order and the victim relocating, Spencer continued to harass and intimidate the victim on social media and by email. The harassment and threats continued after the victim moved to Maine in 2018 and obtained a protection from abuse order in March 2019. The protection order included explicit language that the “Defendant shall not post any direct or indirect threats about or concerning the plaintiff on social media/online.”

Spencer faces up to five years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine, followed by up to three years of supervised release. He will be sentenced after the completion of a presentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI investigated the case.