RICE TWP. — A man from Duryea is facing charges, filed by Rice Township police, because he allegedly used the name and image of an ex-girlfriend to create an account on a dating site and posted intimate pictures of her.
Louis Hughes, 35, of Dickson Street, is facing seven counts of unlawful dissemination of an intimate image and a single count of harassment. The charges were filed last week with District Judge Ferris Webby in Wright Township and sent to Hughes via U.S. Postal mail with a preliminary hearing scheduled on Oct. 8 in Luzerne County Central Court.
Rice Township police initiated an investigation in May when a woman reported her former boyfriend, identified as Hughes, used her name and photos to create a Tinder account, according to the criminal complaint.
Hughes, pretending to be his ex-girlfriend, engaged in an online conversation on the dating app with another woman with plans to meet to perform a sexual activity, the complaint alleges.
The complaint further alleges Hughes requested to have a third woman join and posted intimate pictures of his ex-girlfriend on the site.
The third woman was suspicious of the pictures Hughes posted and conducted research, eventually reaching out to Hughes’ ex-girlfriend after discovering the fraudulent account and intimate pictures on the dating app.
Police in the complaint allege Hughes communicated lewd and obscene language when disseminating intimate images and videos of his ex-girlfriend.
During the investigation, police executed search warrants that linked Hughes’ cellular phone and email to the fraudulent account on Tinder, the complaint alleges.
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