Ex-NASA Contractor Pleads Guilty in Cyberstalking Scheme

A former NASA contractor who allegedly threatened to publish nude photos of seven women unless they sent him other explicit pictures has pleaded guilty to federal charges.

Twenty-eight-year-old Richard Bauer of Los Angeles entered pleas Thursday to stalking, computer hacking and aggravated identity theft.

Bauer acknowledged victimizing friends, family members, high school and college acquaintances and co-workers.

Bauer, pretending to ask questions on Facebook for a class, got some victims to reveal information he used to reset their online passwords and harvest photos. He got other victims to install computer malware allowing him to access their computers.

Bauer allegedly threatened to post nude photos he’d obtained of the victims online unless they sent more photos.

Bauer worked at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Southern California.