Articles labeled: myspace hoax

Lori Drew, a woman who had been indicted in a MySpace hoax that authorities say led to a girl’s suicide has had her case dismissed by a federal court. Drew had been accused of setting up a fake MySpace page and luring 13-year-old Megan Meier into an online relationship which she then abruptly ended telling Megan, “You’re a shitty person, and the world would be a better place without you in it.”

The decision by U.S. District Judge George H. Wu will not become final until his written ruling is filed, probably next week. Wu said he was concerned that if Drew was found guilty of violating the terms of service in using MySpace, anyone who violated the terms could be convicted of a crime.

Drew 50, was to be sentenced in May but Wu had delayed the sentencing until today, saying he wanted to consider the defense motion to dismiss the entire case.

A federal jury convicted Drew in November of the three misdemeanor charges but deadlocked on a felony conspiracy charge that would have carried a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.

Looks like Megan Meier’s parents are getting their wish.

A 49-year-old Missouri mother has been indicted for fraudulently using MySpace to “cyber-bully” a teenage girl who committed suicide after she was tricked into believing she was being dumped by her online boyfriend.

Lori Drew, of O’Fallon, Missouri, was named in a federal indictment charging her with three counts of accessing protected computers without authorization and one count of conspiracy. She faces a maximum of 20 years in federal prison. She has been summoned to appear in US District Court in Los Angeles in June.

The MySpace charade has drawn international ire since it was first reported that Drew posed as a 16-year-old boy on the social networking site and drew 13-year-old Megan Meier into a romantic relationship. After feigning interest in the girl for several weeks, Drew and several unnamed co-conspirators, abruptly broke off the relationship, telling her: “You’re a shitty person, and the world would be a better place without you in it.”

The parents of Megan Meier, who committed suicide after being bullied online, want the person who they deem responsible, neighbor Lori Drew, to serve jail time.

Drew, the mother of an ex-friend of Megan’s, admitted in a police report to setting up a fake MySpace profile of a boy named “Josh Evans”, which she then used to tease Megan calling her “fat” and a “slut”. Now the community wants something done:

“You cannot as an adult sit there and do that and hide behind a computer. It is a criminal act. We want to see her go to jail,” said Tina Meier, Megan’s mother.

Now others are calling for justice in the case. Prosecutors say they are reviewing the case to determine whether anyone will be charged with a crime.

Last week the board of aldermen in the Meiers’ hometown, Dardenne Prairie, Mo., passed a law making Internet bullying a misdemeanor in the town.

“It’s time that we do something against this. On all levels, the state and federal level,” Dardenne Prairie Mayor Pam Fogarty said.