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Copyright, 2014
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February 25, 2011
Judge Tom
Blog
3

Sexting photos surface five years later

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When a young Pennsylvania teenager posted sexually graphic photos of himself in 2003 or 2004, he may have forgotten about it over the years. He was 12 or 13 at the time and didn’t expect them to turn up on the Internet in his adult life.

But they did. An unidentified group found the pictures and tried to find the boy. Twenty-year-old Matthew Bean of New Jersey never met him but joined the electronic mob in order to taunt him with his photos. Posing as a concerned mother, Bean sent the pictures to teachers and administrators at the victim’s school. He wrote “this sort of behavior should not be allowed to run rampant.”

Matthew R. Bean

Other messages accompanying the pictures taunted the victim with comments like “lets make this kid want to die.” Others joined in encouraging him to kill himself. The school reported the incident to the police who traced the posts to Matthew Bean. In September, 2010, he pleaded guilty to stalking. On January 18, 2011, Bean was sentenced in federal court. The victim was not present.

Judge Anita Brody called the crime “extremely malicious” and hoped that it would teach the victim and others “the stupidity of sexting.” She commented further that “You have to be blind to what’s going on in this world not to know the effect of cyberbullying on present-day society.”

Bean was remorseful for his actions telling the judge “I know that my embarassment, the embarassment I brought my family, is nothing compared to the pain I caused him,” referring to the victim. In a court ordered psychiatric exam, Bean stated that “The Internet seemed safer to me, not as dangerous as handing out the photo at someone’s school where you might get punched. We weren’t thinking.”

Bean was sentenced to 45 days in federal prison and five years probation. He was ordered to post a message on the chat board he used to let people know that cyberbullying is a crime and that law enforcement will pursue these acts. Bean was also ordered to pay a $2,000.00 fine.

Because of his slight build and youthful appearance, the judge expressed concern about his safety in prison. She did not object to an alternative placement as long as it was in a custodial setting. When she first saw Bean, she thought he was 12 or 13. He stands 5 feet 4 inches and weighs 110 pounds. He is to report to the federal Bureau of Prisons in early March, 2011.

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Judge Tom

The Author Judge Tom

Judge Tom is the founder and moderator of AsktheJudge.info. He is a retired juvenile judge and spent 23 years on the bench. He has written several books for lawyers and judges as well as teens and parents including 'Teen Cyberbullying Investigated' (Free Spirit Publishing) and 'Every Vote Matters: the Power of Your Voice, from Student Elections to the Supreme Court' (Free Spirit Publishing). In 2020, the American Bar Association published "Cyberbullying Law," the nation's first case-law book written for lawyers, judges and law students. When he's not answering teens' questions, Judge Tom volunteers with the American Red Cross and can be found hiking, traveling and reading.

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3 Comments

  • Tulsa Divorce Attorney Matt Ingham
    July 19, 2011 7:27 pm count( 0 )

    Matthew Bean and other members of the mob deserved to face justice for their malicious behavior…glad to see the judge issued the correct ruling.