Security Consultant Indicted on Cyberstalking Charges

A cybersecurity consultant from Seattle has been indicted by a federal grand jury on multiple counts of cyberstalking.

Sumit Garg is accused of waging an extensive year-long cyberstalking campaign against a woman with whom he and his wife formerly shared a two-bedroom apartment in the Belltown neighborhood of Seattle.

The 31-year-old allegedly directed sexually explicit messages and social media posts at the woman and sent threats to her, her family members, and her boyfriend.

When the victim went to the police to report Garg’s alleged crimes, the cybersecurity specialist allegedly threatened the Seattle police detective tasked with investigating the case. 

He is further accused of threatening his alleged victim’s uncle who represented her in obtaining a civil protection order. 

Garg allegedly even went on to threaten the deputy prosecuting attorney who filed illegal stalking conduct charges against the consultant.

Court documents state that in 2019, while Garg and his spouse were living with the victim, Garg snuck into the victim’s room and accessed her diary without her consent, leaving fingerprints on multiple pages. 

The diary contained intimate details about the victim’s private life and prior relationships. After reading it, Garg gave her the nickname Spicy. 

The victim moved out of the apartment in July 2019 after allegedly receiving threatening messages from Garg and being frightened by his behavior during a verbal argument over plans for her friends to visit from out of state.  

Scared for her safety, the victim took out a protection order against Garg. The consultant signed a settlement agreement to resolve the civil action and agreed to have no further contact with the victim.

Garg is accused of sending to the victim photos of her new apartment and a video of himself in the building’s lobby.

Court documents alleged that from around November 2019 to March 2021, Garg and others cyber-harassed and intimidated over a dozen victims. 

Garg allegedly created threatening messages and made false reports to law enforcement to create the illusion that he was a victim of the cyberstalking scheme, rather than its perpetrator.

Garg is charged with conspiracy to engage in cyberstalking, three counts of cyberstalking in violation of a criminal order, and two counts of cyberstalking.