Case of Fake Facebook Profile to Proceed in NJ

Creating a fake Facebook profile about her ex-boyfriend has one New Jersey woman facing possible jail time

A case of breaking up in the Internet age will move forward in a New Jersey courtroom.

A judge in Morristown declined Wednesday to dismiss the case against a woman accused of creating a fake Facebook profile about her ex-boyfriend.

The Morris County Prosecutor's Office indicted Dana Thornton last year on one count of fourth-degree identity theft, a crime punishable by a maximum of 18 months in jail. Attorney Richard Roberts had argued the law, as it exists, doesn't apply to electronic communications.

Prosecutors say the law should apply because the victim's reputation was damaged. The 41-year-old accused woman is a police detective in Parsippany. The New Jersey Senate is considering an amendment that would include Internet impersonation.

 

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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