US Man Jailed After FBI Traced 1,100 IP Addresses in Cyberstalking Case

A 25-year-old Bigfork man, Jeremiah Daniel Starr, was sentenced yesterday to 46 months in federal prison for a cyberstalking campaign that lasted nearly three years. The case is particularly chilling because the victim, identified as Jane Doe, believed Starr was her best friend, while he was secretly the person sending her threatening and frightening messages.

According to the Department of Justice (DoJ) press release, Starr went to great lengths to hide his tracks. He used more than 50 different phone numbers and a service called NordVPN, which is a tool used to hide a person’s digital location. Investigators from the FBI had to sift through over 1,100 distinct IP addresses to finally link the harassment back to Starr.

****A Terrifying Fake Shooting****

As the years went by, the harassment moved from the digital world into real-life violence. Court records reveal that on February 9, 2025, while the victim was asleep, Starr actually fired a gun into her apartment. In what US Attorney Kurt Alme described as an “elaborate ruse,” Starr then pretended to “return fire” at imaginary attackers, acting as if he were protecting her.

Investigation, however, revealed that there were no other gunmen; it was just Starr shooting rounds both inside and outside the home to keep his victim living in fear. The victim later told investigators that the constant pressure was “unbearable” and caused her massive emotional distress. Justin Gerken, the Special Agent in charge, noted that “the defendant exploited the anonymity of the internet” to inflict lasting harm.

****Accountability in a Digital Age****

Starr had previously pleaded guilty to one count of cyberstalking in August 2025. At the sentencing, US District Judge Dana L. Christensen ordered that after his 46-month prison term, Starr must also complete three years of supervised release.

Assistant US Attorney Cyndee Peterson prosecuted the case, which relied heavily on the technical work of the FBI’s Billings Field Office. It is worth noting that cases like this are becoming a major focus for law enforcement as they work to protect people from high-tech stalking.

This case is a loud warning that these digital masks don’t stay on forever and will eventually be stripped away. While the internet offers plenty of ways for people to hide, the persistence of federal investigators shows that even the most complex digital trails can be followed to ensure that the culprits are held fully accountable for their actions.

(Photo by nicholas tessier on Unsplash)