Minneapolis Man Pleads Guilty To Cyberstalking

United States Attorney Erica H. MacDonald today announced the guilty plea of JEFFREY COLIN PURDY, 28, to cyberstalking. PURDY entered his guilty plea this afternoon before Judge Susan Richard Nelson in U.S. District Court in St. Paul, Minnesota.

According to PURDY’s guilty plea and documents filed with the court, between August 30, 2017, and February 29, 2020, PURDY used various means of interstate commerce to communicate threats to injure and kidnap. Specifically, on September 15, 2017, the Mankato Department of Public Safety received a complaint from an individual stating that she had been receiving harassing emails from PURDY, a former classmate from Minnesota State University, Mankato (“Mankato State”). While attending Mankato State, the victim declined repeated romantic advances from PURDY and eventually blocked PURDY from her cellular telephone and social media accounts. From August 30, 2017, through February 21, 2020, PURDY used Mankato State’s Silent Witness Report, an anonymous incident reporting tool, to make frequent, violent threats against the victim. An IP address used to make one of the Silent Witness Reports was traced back to PURDY. On February 29, 2020, during an interview at the Mankato Department of Public Safety, PURDY admitted to sending all the Silent Witness Reports.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI and the Mankato Department of Public Safety, with assistance from the Blue Earth County Attorney’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily A. Polachek is prosecuting the case.

Defendant Information:

JEFFREY COLIN PURDY, 28

Minneapolis, Minn.

Convicted:

• Cyberstalking, 1 count

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United States Attorney’s Office, District of Minnesota: (612) 664-5600