LOS ANGELES – The owner of a Temecula art gallery who allegedly stalked, harassed and attempted to extort several art world professionals was arrested Wednesday on federal cyberstalking charges, according to federal prosecutors.
Jason White, 43, of Temecula, allegedly targeted several art world professionals with home he had had business relationships. When those relationships ended, White put up derogatory information on these professionals on websites White created.
White is the owner of White Galleries located in the 41000 block of Margarita Road in Temecula, according to prosecutors.
If he is found guilty of the charges, Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Levitt said in an interview that White could get up to five years in prison.
According to the criminal complaint, in a text message to his former supervisor, he threatened to find her family and make her pay with “fear, anguish, and pain.”
On several occasions, according to the complaint, White obtained pictures of her child and sent pictures of the child to the victim with comments such as “it will be very unfortunate if something was to happen to him.”
During this time, officials stated in the complaint that White continued to demand payment in exchange for taking down the websites he had created, and made it known to these victims that their business reputation would be ruined and that his websites would forever show up anytime anyone searched for their name on the internet.
Late last month, authorities allege that White went to the Facebook page of a well-known artist represented by the art publisher and posted a picture of himself, along with a statement that he was focusing on the artist’s wife and child.
White allegedly wrote that he would be waiting in the bushes to “knee cap a child.” Through the Facebook message, White told the artist, “your children are my end game.”