MANCHESTER, NH – A man accused of posting nude photos of a former roommate, taken in a computer hack, will spend 21 days in jail after a judge “reluctantly” agreed to a plea negotiated by prosecuting and defense attorneys.
Riley Mcaroy, 23, of Manchester, is charged with computer-related offenses, a class B felony, which carries a 3 ½ to 7-year prison sentence.
In July, Hillsborough County Superior Northern District Court Judge N. William Decker rejected a plea deal which called for no jail time (a 12-month suspended sentence) for Mcaroy.
Delker said the case called for jail time because, according to a police affidavit, Mcaroy obtained nude photographs of two women – his former roommate and a woman he worked with three years earlier. McAroy, the judge said, paid someone to hack into both women’s accounts and forward him nude photos of them.
In an order issued Friday, Delker said he rejected the original proposal as “too lenient in light of the conduct alleged in the probable cause affidavit.”
The latest proposed sentence calls for Mcaroy to serve 21 days in jail with the balance suspended for three years. The negotiated plea also calls for Mcaroy to begin serving his sentence on Dec. 11, 2021, so it does not interfere with his education.
Mcaroy is only charged with the conduct concerning his roommate. “Although the uncharged allegations are troubling, the State has not charged the defendant with that conduct and is not relying on the information as part of its proposed sentence,” Delker wrote.
Still, he said, he found Mcaroy’s behavior “highly premeditated and warranting punishment. On the other hand, the defendant is relatively young. He is enrolled in the Maine Maritime Academy. Requiring an extended term of incarceration will derail his education.”
Delker said considering those factors he will “reluctantly accept the proposed sentence with the additional term that the defendant obtain a mental health evaluation within six months of his release and comply with all recommended treatment.”
According to the affidavit of Goffstown police detective Jason H. Ouellette, a woman told police on Jan. 25, 2021, she received an Instagram text message from Mcaroy asking for her link to her webpage on OnlyFans, where people earn money from fans who subscribe to their content.
The woman told Ouellette the site contained some revealing photos of her but none in which her face was shown. She refused to give Mcaroy access because he made her uncomfortable.
Later he told her, “Never mind, found some stuff on you anyway.” He then sent her a photo in which she was topless. The woman told police the photo was taken at a nude beach in June 2020. That photo, she said, was not on OnlyFans but saved on her Snapchat account. She said Snapchat alerted her a while ago that her account had been hacked.
The Goffstown woman later discovered the nude photos of herself on anonib.com.
Police spoke to Mcaroy who said he paid a 4chan guy to hack into the woman’s account and also that of a woman he worked with years ago at Market Basket, Nashua/Merrimack. He wanted the photos of his former co-worker because she was “hot” he told the detective.
In all, he obtained 20 photos of the Goffstown woman and 10 photos of the former co-worker.
Mcaroy, Ouellette wrote, admitted he uploaded the photos to anonib.com. He did not upload the co-worker’s pictures, however.
A plea and sentencing hearing is to be scheduled prior to Dec. 10, 2020.
Assistant Hillsborough County Attorney Jonathan M. Raiche prosecuted the case. Mcavoy was represented by attorney Richard E. Samdperil.
