Complaint Review: pdxmugshots.com - Kyle Ritter

18 USC 1030 - Fraud and related activity in connection with computers
(2) intentionally accesses a computer without authorization or exceeds authorized access, and thereby obtains
(C) information from any protected computer;

18 USC 641 - Public money, property or records
Whoever embezzles, steals, purloins, or knowingly converts to his use or the use of another, or without authority, sells, conveys or disposes of any record, voucher, money, or thing of value of the United States or of any department or agency thereof, or any property made or being made under contract for the United States or any department or agency thereof;
Whoever receives, conceals, or retains the same with intent to convert it to his use or gain, knowing it to have been embezzled, stolen, purloined or converted


Kyle Ritter a/k/a Mugshot Barry: "Fairly simple mechanics power pdxmugshots: An algorithm scrapes the photos from law enforcement websites, including the Multnomah County Sheriffs Office, which oversees the jail."
Corey, Paul. "Mug Shot Profiteers Been arrested? This website puts up your photo and sees profit in your shame. Others see extortion." Willamette Week August 2011.

Kyle Ritter a/k/a Mugshot Barry: "Businesses such as BoiseMugshots.com, Mugshots.com and arrestcentral.com scrape or automatically grab information from websites like Ada Countys arrest log, post the photos on their sites and then link to other Web businesses that charge $99 and more for removal."
Orr, Patrick. "Mug shot websites make money on embarrassment." Idaho Statesman February 2012.

Kyle Ritter a/k/a Mugshot Barry: "For someone to scrape our site would be no different than you investigating a story, collecting and structuring the information, only to have a rival change a few adjectives and publish it themselves without going to through the same process you did.

Kyle Ritter a/k/a Mugshot Barry: "No comment on how many different towns we have websites for gotta keep the lazier scrapers at bay, ya know?"
Orr, Patrick. "Read the entire Q&A between'Mughost Barry at boisemugshots.com and Idaho Statesman reporter Patrick Orr." The Olympian February 2012.


18 USC 2261A - Stalking
(2) with the intent
(A) to kill, injure, harass, or place under surveillance with intent to kill, injure, harass, or intimidate, or cause substantial emotional distress to a person in another State or tribal jurisdiction or within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States; or
(i) that person;
(ii) a member of the immediate family (as defined in section 115 1 of that person; or
(iii) a spouse or intimate partner of that person;

Kyle Ritter a/k/a Mugshot Barry: "I found myself wasting hours looking at the pictures that I had downloaded.
Kyle Ritter a/k/a Mugshot Barry: So I decided to build a website around it.
Orr, Patrick. "Read the entire Q&A between'Mughost Barry' at boisemugshots.com and Idaho Statesman reporter Patrick Orr." The Olympian February 2012.

Kyle Ritter a/k/a Mugshot Barry: "And when WW began reporting about the mug shot sites, "Barry" agreed only to speak to the paper only if we signed an agreement to keep his identity secret. WW declined"
Corey, Paul. "Extortion Mug Shot Site Operator Identifies Himself: Kyle Ritter, Who Also Runs Pdxbars.com" Willamette Week August 2011.


18 USC 873 - Blackmail
Whoever, under a threat of informing, or as a consideration for not informing, against any violation of any law of the United States, demands or receives any money or other valuable thing, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.

Kyle Ritter a/k/a Mugshot Barry: "He told the radio station that the website didnt start charging until he and his business partner were inundated with requests from people whose mug shots appeared on the site to take them down.
Kyle Ritter a/k/a Mugshot Barry: I realized its revenue potential, he said."
Kyle Ritter a/k/a Mugshot Barry: "People are going to monetize emotion, maybe humiliation."
Corey, Paul. "Mug Shot Profiteers Been arrested? This website puts up your photo and sees profit in your shame. Others see extortion" Willamette Week August 2011.

Kyle Ritter a/k/a Mugshot Barry: "Can I pay you to take it down as soon as possible?
Kyle Ritter a/k/a Mugshot Barry: From there I though hmm, maybe that is a way that people can very quickly and easily remove their photo during times when we are unavailable.
Orr, Patrick. "Read the entire Q&A between'Mughost Barry' at boisemugshots.com and Idaho Statesman reporter Patrick Orr." The Olympian February 2012.

Kyle Ritter a/k/a Mugshot Barry: "Bartlett said he had one client who paid to have a picture removed from one site, only to later find that same mugshot appearing on ancillary sites."
Idaho Statesman: "The same company that got paid the first time offered to remove the other photos for an additional fee, he said."
Orr, Patrick. "Mug shot websites make money on embarrassment." Idaho Statesman February 2012.


18 USC 880 - Receiving the proceeds of extortion
A person who receives, possesses, conceals, or disposes of any money or other property which was obtained from the commission of any offense under this chapter that is punishable by imprisonment for more than 1 year, knowing the same to have been unlawfully obtained, shall be imprisoned not more than 3 years, fined under this title, or both.

Kyle Ritter a/k/a Mugshot Barry: "But crunching numbers he provided suggests the group made about $1,500 a month in profit from mug shot removal alone."
Corey, Paul. "Mug Shot Profiteers Been arrested? This website puts up your photo and sees profit in your shame. Others see extortion" Willamette Week August 2011.

I had a friend who had their photo on Shastmugshots.com.  It was valid, and the information was apparently from public sources.  My friend paid the fee and had the information removed.  Although I thought it stunk, I didn't see any sort of a rip-off.  The owner of the web site had an idea for a "service," and he now makes money from it.  

Now if the information was not correct, and the web site owner refused to remove it, then I'd say there was an issue.  Otherwise, he's just posting public information and there's no law against that.