Las Vegas man charged with cyberstalking via social media

A Las Vegas resident made his initial court appearance Tuesday on charges that he sent thousands of messages, including threats via Instagram, to two employees of the University of Texas at Austin, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a news release Wednesday.

Brian Patrick Solomon, 38, is charged with one count of interstate communications with threat to injure and one count of cyberstalking. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison.

According to an indictment, beginning on or about June 6 to Sept. 16, Solomon sent direct messages threatening to injure two high-level employees of the school. In May and June, Solomon requested a total of $450 via CashApp from a victim.

A records check revealed that on July 26, Solomon was arrested in Austin for burglary of vehicle and criminal mischief. On Feb. 27, he was arrested in Nevada for stalking.

As a result, a protection order was entered against Solomon. In July, one victim attended the ESPY Awards show and was scheduled for a speaking engagement. Solomon communicated to the victim that he had purchased a ticket for the event. While the event revoked his ticket due to safety concerns, the victim paid out of pocket to hire security.

On Sept. 16, the FBI arrested Solomon. After he was advised of his Miranda rights, according to authorities, Solomon admitted that he used multiple Instagram accounts to send a few thousand direct messages to the victim and that he had become angry with her.

Additionally, authorities said, Solomon admitted he had requested money from the victim to travel to the victim, and he had previously traveled via airplane to Austin.

A jury trial has been scheduled for Dec. 17 before U.S. District Judge Jennifer A. Dorsey.