Date: 01-10-2020

Case Style:

Case Number: 6:18-cr-10099-EFM

Judge: Eric F. Melgren

Court: United States District Court for the District of Kansas (Sedgwick County)

Plaintiff's Attorney: Jason Hart

Defendant's Attorney:

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Description: Wichita, KS - The United States of America charged David Dorsett with threatening cyberattacks.

A Wichita computer programmer was sentenced to three years federal probation and a $2,000 fine for threatening cyberattacks against two web sites that posted criticism of Wichita lawyer Brad Pistotnik.

David Dorsett, 37, Wichita, Kan., pleaded guilty to two counts of making extortionate threats via the internet. In his plea, Dorsett admitted he contacted Pistotnik in September 2014 offering reputation management services. Pistotnik met with Dorsett and showed him postings on the internet that Pistotnik wanted removed, including a Kansas Supreme Court disciplinary opinion for Pistotnik and a negative consumer review. Email communications between Dorsett and Pistotnik showed Postnik saying, “Any luck removing that bad website I showed you?” and “tell me how we get rid of it.”

Dorsett sent a barrage of emails to two web sites, leagle.com and RipoffReport.com demanding they remove information critical of Pistotnik. The emails read in part, “If you don’t remove it we will begin targeting your advertisers and explain that this will stop happening to them once they pull their ads…” Dorsett billed Pistotnik for sending the threats and Pistotnik paid him by check the same day.

Co-defendant Pistotnik was sentenced in October 2019 to pay a $375,000 fine and $55,200 in restitution.

McAllister commended the FBI.

Charges:

18:875(d) and 2 Interstate Communications (Aiding and Abetting Extortionate Threat) (INFORMATION 10/18/2019)
(1s)

18:875(d) and 2 Interstate Communications (Aiding and Abetting Extortionate Threat) (INFORMATION 10/18/2019)
(2s)

Outcome: Sentenced to 3 years probation (3 years/count for Counts 1s & 2s to run concurrently); $200 special assessment fee ($100/count) and $2000 fine.

Plaintiff's Experts:

Defendant's Experts:

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