John Christopher Spatafore : California Man Target of Hate Campaign After Jaywalking Ticket

For almost a month, a Fresno police officer and his family were subjected to a relentless campaign of harassment and revenge by a man who was angry about receiving a ticket for jaywalking, as per a civil lawsuit.

The officer, known as John Doe in the lawsuit, was on duty on October 25, 2019, around 2 p.m. when he witnessed a man, later identified as John Christopher Spatafore, crossing the street illegally in downtown Fresno near Fresno City Hall and the railway tracks.

Spatafore, aged 55, worked in information technology for Community Regional Medical Center and was just a block away from his workplace. A police report described Spatafore as “extremely confrontational” during the questioning, but he accepted the ticket and both parties went their separate ways.

What should have been a routine encounter quickly spiralled into a series of disturbing events. The officer’s lawyer, Brian Whelan, referred to it as a “cyber campaign of hate and revenge” against the officer, his wife, and daughter.

The officer has filed a lawsuit against Spatafore and the hospital for various allegations including invasion of privacy, negligent infliction of emotional distress, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and negligent supervision of an employee.

The officer is seeking a minimum of £5.5 million for himself, his wife, and daughter. The jury will determine punitive damages at the trial.

A pre-trial discovery conference is set for June 6 with a potential trial later this year.

Harassment against Fresno police officer and family

Court records and police reports outline the lengths Spatafore went to in order to carry out his revenge scheme. Shortly after issuing the jaywalking ticket, the officer began receiving password reset codes, indicating someone was attempting to hack into his email account.

These attempts persisted at least 10 more times over the following days. Subsequently, the officer started receiving phone calls, emails, and text messages.

Spatafore bombarded car dealers, solar companies, and retailers with thousands of information requests, as detailed in the lawsuit.

On a single day, the officer received 100 texts on his personal phone.

“Lamborghini, Rolls Royce, and Maserati dealerships inundated John with calls ‘responding to your request’ regarding online orders and inquiries that John never initiated,” the lawsuit states. “Furthermore, there were signs of attempted intrusion into Plaintiffs’ wireless internet, suggesting that Spatafore lurked outside their home at all hours to hack into their wireless internet within its short radius.”

During a deposition, Spatafore denied hacking into the officer’s email account, but the harassment continued to escalate.

He filed a false police report accusing the officer of being involved in a hit-and-run on October 1, 2019. In the report, Spatafore alleged, “Police motorcycle riding on sidewalk without lights or sirens. Appeared intoxicated on drugs all while laughing aloud.”

An investigation by Fresno police revealed that the incident never occurred, and a search warrant later linked the online report to Spatafore’s IP address at the hospital.

Spatafore filed a second false report, this time claiming the officer’s wife was a victim of domestic violence. He also informed the police that the officer’s sister-in-law had photographic evidence of the abuse. Although a police investigation disproved the report, it had a significant impact on the couple.

“The humiliating false reports of domestic violence spread within the community and the Fresno Police Department, causing John and Jane to be humiliated and forced to refute defamatory claims,” the lawsuit states.

Fresno hospital dismisses IT worker

Despite the fear of being caught, Spatafore persisted in his “vindictive attacks.”

The officer and his wife received a message indicating that their personal computer’s camera had been hacked, with the hacker claiming to have compromising videos that he threatened to release unless his demands were met.

“I require your 100% attention for the upcoming 24 hours, or will certainly make sure you live out of guilt for the rest of your life span…I know nearly everything about you … ” Spatafore allegedly wrote, according to the lawsuit.

While some of the harassment was threatening, other incidents were infuriating. Spatafore allegedly attempted to have the officer’s water and trash services shut off on Thanksgiving Day. The officer had to intervene with city staff to prevent this from happening.

Almost a month after commencing his online harassment, Spatafore was arrested by Fresno police on November 21, 2019. He was pulled over while driving within a mile of the officer’s home. Inside his vehicle was a loaded .38 caliber revolver that was not registered. Spatafore also lacked a license to carry the handgun and denied ownership.

The hospital terminated Spatafore’s employment on November 21, 2019, after discovering that he had used the organization’s equipment, including a laptop computer, to execute his revenge plan.

During an interview with the police, Spatafore admitted to the online harassment, stating that he used public information websites and Facebook profiles for information, not hospital records.

Hospital officials declined to comment on the civil lawsuit.

“Since this case is ongoing, we are unable to provide any comments,” said Michelle Von Tersch, senior vice president of communications and legislative affairs.

Criminal case put on hold

Spatafore faced charges of two counts of unauthorized use of personal identifying information, one count of possessing a concealed firearm in a vehicle, one misdemeanor count of receiving stolen property, and one misdemeanor count of making a false report.

A restraining order was issued by the court, prohibiting him from contacting the officer or his family.

However, the criminal case against Spatafore was suspended after his lawyer, Corina Burchfield, successfully enrolled him in a mental health diversion program.

The program aims to provide treatment for defendants with mental health issues instead of sending them directly to prison, with treatment lasting up to two years.

Burchfield, a senior associate attorney at the Sawl Law Group in Fresno, defended the decision to have Spatafore undergo treatment for mental illness, stating that “he was not in the right mental state at the time.”

She mentioned that Spatafore has transformed and is now active in his church and a grandfather.

“When all of this occurred, when he was arrested, he apologised and has shown remorse and regret,” she said. “He lost his 17-year job over this. It was completely out of character for him and it ruined his life.”

However, Burchfield acknowledged that the incident was traumatic for the officer and his family.

“He was deeply upset because this extended into his family life, and he is using every possible means to punish my client and seek compensation,” she said. “But he (Spatafore) received the assistance he needed and is not a threat to anyone.”