Former San Francisco Resident Sentenced To More Than Three Years In Prison For Multi-Year Campaign Of Cyberstalking

SAN FRANCISCO – Ramajana Hidic Demirovic was sentenced to 37 months in prison for cyberstalking and conspiracy to commit cyberstalking in connection with a scheme to harass and intimidate victims, including teenagers who had romantic relationships with the defendant’s co-conspirator, announced United States Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Robert K. Tripp. The sentence was handed down by the Hon. Vince Chhabria, U.S. District Judge after the defendant admitted she was guilty of the federal criminal charges.

Demirovic, 47, of San Francisco at the time she committed the offenses and currently of Brentwood, pleaded guilty to the charges on August 4, 2022. According to her plea agreement, Demirovic admitted she sent hundreds of malicious, deceptive, and abusive communications intended to sabotage the personal relationships, social reputation, academic life, and work prospects of her intended victims. In all, Demirovic pleaded guilty to seven counts of cyberstalking as well as an eighth count of conspiracy to commit cyberstalking. She acknowledged in her plea agreement that between 2016 and 2019 she and a co-conspirator attempted to cause and did cause substantial emotional distress to their victims. The principal targets of the scheme were persons with whom her co-conspirator (her daughter) had a falling out after a relationship or friendship. In each case, after the relationship ended, Demirovic engaged in a campaign to punish the victims.

Examples of Demirovic’s cyberstalking and additional conduct are described in her plea agreement and in the government’s sentencing memorandum. The descriptions are disturbing. Demirovic’s first victim was a 14-year-old high school student who dated Demirovic’s co-conspirator for only a few days in February 2016. Demirovic went to the victim’s school, located him, accosted him, and, in front of other students, threatened him. Demirovic also contacted the victim’s mother using text messages and falsely accused him of being violent against Demirovic’s co-conspirator.

A second victim was a close female friend of Demirovic’s daughter until the two teenagers had a falling out. In response, Demirovic began sending harassing text messages to her and leaving threatening voicemail messages. Demirovic threatened to send fabricated incriminating evidence to the police and to arrange to have this victim disciplined by her school.

A third victim became Demirovic’s target after he briefly “dated” her daughter in 2016. Demirovic sent vicious text messages to this victim and threatened to seek a restraining order against him that would prejudice his college applications. She made false reports to his employer accusing the victim of being physically abusive, using drugs, and having a problem with alcohol—leading the victim to quit his job. She contacted administrators at the victim’s school and repeated these false allegations. Demirovic also used Instagram spoof accounts that used the victim’s name and images of him.

Demirovic acknowledged in her plea agreement that her tactics escalated throughout the rest of 2016 and 2017; by May of 2018, Demirovic and her co-conspirator began a 17-month course of conduct that was intended to humiliate and destroy the social relationships of a fourth victim. This time, Demirovic created and used social media accounts—some that impersonated the victim and others that used pseudonyms—to systematically transmit hundreds of communications and postings about the victim. Messages were sent to the victim, his family, friends, school officials, and strangers. For example, Demirovic created social media postings suggesting, among other things, that the victim was high on drugs, that he was emotionally and psychologically abusive, and that he was engaged in online bullying and anonymous messaging. Demirovic also submitted a complaint about the victim to Title IX officers at his university, falsely alleging he had "harassed and stalked" girls. Demirovic’s harassing conduct continued even after a judicial officer issued a temporary restraining order directing Demirovic to refrain from harassing the victim and his family.

A more detailed description of the defendant’s conduct and the effect on her multiple victims is included in the government’s memorandum filed in connection with the defendant’s sentencing.

On March 10, 2022, a federal grand jury issued a superseding indictment charging Demirovic with seven counts of cyberstalking, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2261A(2), and one count of conspiracy to commit cyberstalking, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371. Pursuant to her plea agreement, Demirovic pleaded guilty to all counts.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Chhabria ordered Demirovic to serve a three-year term of supervised release to begin after her prison term. Judge Chhabria ordered the defendant to surrender on March 10, 2023, to begin serving her prison term rand scheduled a hearing for February 15, 2023, to determine issues regarding restitution.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph Tartakovsky and Lauren Harding are prosecuting the case with assistance from Lance Libatique. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI.