A couple months ago I posted the cyber-bullying case involving Lori Drew. Drew, her then-13-year-old daughter, and a business associate created a MySpace profile of a fictitious boy and sent flirtatious messages to Megan Meier in the boy’s name to find out if Megan was spreading rumors about Drew’s daughter…

“The fake boy then dumped Megan in a message saying the world would be better without her.”

Megan Meier hung herself shortly after.

“Prosecutors charged Drew with four felony counts, but jurors rejected these for the lesser misdemeanor convictions and deadlocked on a fourth felony charge for conspiracy.”

They also rejected a recommendation from probation officers that Drew be given only probation and a $5,000 fine.

“The defendant has become the face of cyber-bullying. A probationary sentence might embolden others to use the Internet to torment and exploit children,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Krause said in court documents.

“Prosecutors argued that Drew sought to humiliate Megan, who she knew suffered from depression and was suicidal. They also said Drew tried to conceal the scheme after Megan died and avoided taking responsibility.”

All in all the prosecutors want Lori Drew to serve over at least 3 years in prison and $300,000 in fines.

Drew was not directly charged with causing Megan’s death, but,  prosecutors did indict her under the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act,  in what is believed to be the nation’s first case of using this law related to cyber-bullying. In the past, the law has been used in hacking and trademark theft cases.

To view the original article, click here and here.

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