Ruston man sentenced to 24 months in prison for posting sexually explicit images online

ALEXANDRIA, La. – Acting U.S. Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced that a Ruston man was sentenced Thursday to 24 months in prison for cyberstalking a woman and posting nude pictures of her on various websites.

Wesley Ballew, 39, of Ruston, La., was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dee D. Drell to one count of cyberstalking. He was also sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $7,500 restitution. According to the July 19, 2017 guilty plea, Ballew ended a relationship with a woman in 2009. He later posted nude pictures and identifying information of the woman to websites and social media sites. Ballew posted the pictures multiple times over the course of several years with the intent to harass and cause emotional distress. He also caused financial stress as the woman spent more than $7,500 in an attempt to remove the postings from online sites.

The FBI conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert C. Abendroth prosecuted the case.