A New Jersey man is in federal custody after allegedly targeting women and girls online and pressuring them to harm themselves.
Marek Cherkaoui, 21, has been charged with cyberstalking after his arrest last week at his home in Egg Harbor Township, about 10 miles west of Atlantic City, according to a criminal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.
The complaint details two incidents involving a 13-year-old girl who allegedly cut herself multiple times after Cherkaoui threatened to publish her personal information online. Investigators say Cherkaoui first told the girl he would “dox” her — revealing her address and other identifying details — if she did not hurt herself.
After she harmed herself the first time, the girl blocked Cherkaoui, the complaint states. She later posted that she had done so because she was afraid of what might happen if strangers obtained her family’s home address.
According to the filing, Cherkaoui then managed to contact her again and renewed his threats, allegedly ordering her to cut herself or face being doxed. He is accused of sending a message that read: “YOU NEED TО DO IT AGAIN. THIS TIME DO IT LIVE ON CAMERA.”
The girl told investigators she clicked a link that took her to Cherkaoui’s channel and then cut herself live on camera, the complaint says. After that second alleged incident, she said she closed all of her online accounts to prevent further contact.
Despite that, Cherkaoui allegedly followed through on his threats and doxed her, posting the names of her family members and the addresses of her home and school, according to the complaint.
Authorities say Cherkaoui is associated with a network of “nihilistic violent extremists,” described in the complaint as individuals who commit crimes in pursuit of political, social or religious aims rooted in a hatred of society and a desire to destabilize it through chaos and violence.
In one alleged instance, Cherkaoui is accused of targeting a person who had posted about being groomed and sexually harassed. He allegedly responded: “YOU DESERVED IT HАHА… IT WILL HAPPEN AGAIN AND AGAIN UNTIL YOU FINALLY COMMIT [suicide].”
A short time later, he allegedly received an (ultimately false) message claiming that the person had died by suicide. The complaint says he then wrote to others in the network: “HEY GUYS IT LOOKS LIKE WE ACTUALLY KILLED A PERSON.”
The filing also accuses Cherkaoui of soliciting child sexual abuse material from minors and talking about wanting to marry a 13-year-old girl.
Prosecutors say he frequently expressed hatred toward minority groups and discussed attacking transgender people. In one exchange cited in the complaint, he allegedly referred to non-White children as “a very good high-value soft target,” adding, “Better for them to be removed when they’re young before they grow up and become a bigger problem …. They marginalized [i.e., minority] kids are a very good high-value soft target.”
Cherkaoui is currently being held at a facility in Philadelphia.
If convicted, the charge of cyberstalking a minor carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and up to three years of supervised release.
