Todd Gugat pleads guilty
MySpace impersonator pleads guilty to criminal libel:
The saga of Billy Johnson, the Colorado teacher who was improperly impersonated on MySpace, continues as the impersonator, Todd Gugat, pleads guilty to criminal libel�
A former Fruita Monument High School student admitted Thursday to a Mesa County magistrate that he feloniously impersonated one of his former teachers on the Internet earlier this year.
Todd Gugat, 18, of Grand Junction, pleaded guilty to criminal libel, a felony, and a misdemeanor computer crime, admitting he stole teacher Bill Johnson�s identity and impersonated him on MySpace.com, a popular networking Web site.
The Grand Junction Police Department began investigating Gugat after Mesa County School District 51 started receiving reports in early summer that a teacher was sending suggestive and threatening messages to his students via MySpace.com.
The police investigation revealed Gugat had lifted photos and information from Johnson�s legitimate MySpace.com account and created a fake, sexually suggestive version to harass other students.
Gugat, who appeared with his mother, Sharmin Gugat, and attorney, Ed Nugent, spoke only to acknowledge his guilt and the possible sentences Magistrate Cynthia Cyphers could impose.
Cyphers told the admitted libeler that he could face two years in the Department of Youth Corrections, one year in work release, six months in the Mesa County Jail or probation.
As part of the plea agreement, the Mesa County District Attorney�s Office dropped the felony criminal impersonation charge from Gugat�s case.
This is why school officials take the “fake teacher’s MySpace” so seriously.
Related Stories
POSTED IN: Fakes
0 opinions for Todd Gugat pleads guilty
No one has left a comment yet. You know what this means, right? You could be first!
Have an opinion? Leave a comment: