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Dalton Man Charged for Allegedly Posting “Revenge Porn”

LACKAWANNA COUNTY — The way a man allegedly got revenge toward his ex-girlfriend for breaking off their relationship now has him in trouble. Police say he...
revengeporn

LACKAWANNA COUNTY -- The way a man allegedly got revenge toward his ex-girlfriend for breaking off their relationship now has him in trouble. Police say he posted sexual pictures of her on-line.

What that man, Joshua Cannella, 26, of Dalton, did is commonly referred to as "revenge porn." Until late last year, posting graphic pictures online of someone else without permission wasn't criminal. But, a new state law now has Cannella facing a misdemeanor charge.

It's a criminal charge for our digital age, and Lackawanna County prosecutors had never used it before until now: "unlawful dissemination of intimate images."

"The situation here is exactly the type of situation it was intended for. Someone was violated, not only by being embarrassed, but also their safety was comprised because their personal information was also shared along with those images," said Lackawanna County Assistant District Attorney Mariclare Hayes.

Lackawanna County Detectives charged Joshua Cannella of Dalton with the misdemeanor after his ex-girlfriend made a disturbing discovery online.

She found more than 400 naked and sexual pictures of her on the porn hosting site motherless.com. Her name, town, and phone number were also listed.

According to court papers, after being confronted by police, Cannella admitted to posting the pictures when he and the victim broke up.

Anna Faramelli works for the Women's Resource Center in Lackawanna County. She said "revenge porn" is something their clients experience.

"We are seeing abuse through technology happen more and more. So, it`s hard because the laws can`t necessarily keep up with all of the new ways that abusive people learn to abuse others," Faramelli said.

Faramelli does not think the new law will cut down on the amount of "revenge porn" cases. But, she thinks it will hold people more accountable for what they do with pictures online.

"Pennsylvania is one of the few states that have this type of legislation and we`re very excited to see that has come to fruition," she added.

The new law was enacted in September of last year, this is the first time it's been used in Lackawanna County. Joshua Cannella is due back in court later on this month.

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