Scott Robert Tardy, 32, of Seymour, Connecticut, has been sentenced to over six years in federal prison for cyberstalking, providing false statements to the FBI, and obstruction of justice in a scheme that targeted a South Carolina FBI agent and his family.
Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed that Tardy operated an account with the username “connecticut12345” on the Kik social media platform in which he joined an anti-law enforcement chat group.
Tardy repeatedly identified the victims’ association with the FBI as a reason to target them. He also shared photographs of the agent’s spouse and the city and state where they live. Tardy discussed violence against the agent and the agent’s family, including throwing a Molotov cocktail in their bedroom while they were sleeping. He asked for the conversation to be moved to the Telegram platform, where he operated the username “slimybanana,” because he believed that application was more secure.
“The work of a law enforcement agent is difficult enough without the undue burden of threats against their safety and the safety of their family,” said U.S. Attorney Bryan Stirling for the District of South Carolina. “We’ll continue to support our law enforcement partners who protect South Carolina every day.”
On the second platform, Tardy allegedly discussed what a cartel would do to the victims.
He discussed having one of the victims “ruined,” “destroyed,” and “tortured for days.” He discussed having the violence recorded on video. He said burning the house was “good enough” if the victim was inside. Tardy then shared the location of the victims’ home by sharing a map with a pin drop on the victims’ street and asked another user how long it would take them to get there.
“Cyberstalking has serious consequences, as this defendant has now learned,” said Kevin Moore, special agent in charge of the FBI Columbia Field Office. “His deliberate actions were intended to instill fear and resulted in lasting trauma for the victims. The FBI will always investigate, pursue, and bring to justice, individuals who exploit digital platforms to engage in criminal conduct.”
When the FBI executed a federal search warrant at Tardy’s apartment on Feb. 16, he falsely denied ever using Kik or Telegram, and he denied sending solicitations and messages. He allegedly lied to investigators, and he reset his phone.
But his data online on Kik and Telegram accounts showed otherwise. Investigators were also able to recover the map of the victims’ home with the pin drop on it from an account associated with Tardy. During the scheme, Tardy worked as a corrections officer at a detention facility in Connecticut.
Law enforcement found that Tardy had engaged in other predatory online activity, including messages discussing his desires to drug and rape women in his community and sharing images of friends’ children while discussing child sexual abuse.
United States District Judge Joseph F. Anderson, Jr. sentenced Tardy to 80 months imprisonment, representing a variance above the advisory sentencing range provided by the U.S. Sentencing Commission Guidelines. The Court imposed the higher sentence because of the severity of the impact on the victims. Tardy’s prison term will be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system.
The Court also ordered Tardy to pay more than $5,000 in restitution for financial costs to the victims associated with his criminal conduct.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elle E. Klein and Elliott B. Daniels prosecuted the case.