Former Marine pleads guilty to cyberstalking women in ‘sextortion’ campaign

A former Marine accused of harassing and threatening women until they sent him explicit photos, then posted them online pleaded guilty Friday.

Johao Miguel Chavarri, who also went by Michael Frito, has pleaded guilty to three counts of cyberstalking for a multi-year campaign of “sextortion” between 2019 and 2021, when he was an active Marine based out of California’s Camp Pendleton, according to the Department of Justice.

Chavarri, 25, contacted victims on social media sites like Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter and “complimented their appearance and/or their publicly posted photos,” then “suggested a relationship in which he would pay the victim to send him photos or videos,” prosecutors alleged.

Camp Pendleton Marine charged with cyberstalking women in ‘sextortion’ campaign

Johao Miguel Chavarri faces up to 15 years in prison. (Lenny Ignelzi/)

Women who refused were harassed, threatened and extorted from multiple burner accounts, including threats to publish sexual photos and videos of them online or send them to boyfriends, friends, families or employers, whom Chavarri often identified by name.

“Chavarri threatened his victims and their friends and family that he would ruin their lives,” the DOJ said in a statement.

Anyone who believes they are a victim of Chavarri is urged to contact the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office at 310-477-6565.

Chavarri is due for sentencing on Sept. 15 and faces up to five years in prison on each count.