Cambridge man charged with cyberstalking former investors in his business

A Cambridge man is charged with cyberstalking after allegedly sending harassing emails and threatening to shoot and kill former investors in his business, federal prosecutors announced.

Patrick McDonald, 33, is charged with three counts of cyberstalking and three counts of transmitting a threat in interstate commerce on Thursday, the office of U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Leah Foley announced in a press release. 

McDonald allegedly started an extensive cyberstalking and threatening campaign against three people following the breakdown of business and investment dealings for his company, Waev, a block chain data sharing company, prosecutors said. 

McDonald allegedly began sending the emails after the victims reportedly withdrew funding and evicted him from a Winchester residence that was used as a venture studio, officials said. 

McDonald’s campaign allegedly threatened to shoot or kill the victims and their families unless he was given back the Winchester residence. McDonald’s emails allegedly included threats to shoot victims “in the face, to kill a victim’s son, to tear a victim’s body apart “limb by limb,” and images of firearms and shootings, Foley’s office wrote. 

McDonald allegedly sent one victim 193 emails over a seven-day period and 259 emails to a victim’s attorney over an 11-day period. Additionally, he allegedly continued to send threats after harassment prevention orders prohibited him from contacting certain victims, officials said. 

The charges of cyberstalking and transmitting a threat in interstate commerce both provide a sentence of up to five years in prison, including one year of mandatory imprisonment for anyone who commits the crime in violation of a restraining order, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000. 

McDonald’s attorney, Stephen Piotrkowski, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Sunday evening.

McDonald appeared in Boston Federal Court on Thursday and remains in state custody and, according to prosecutors.