US Attorney's Office: Baker Press Release [ I assume authentic

[David Farber <farber () central cis upenn edu>]

From: abrenner () interaccess com (Andrew S. Brenner)


            United States Attorney
            Easten District of Michigan




            211 W. Fort Street
            Suite 2300
            Detroit, MI 48221-3211




            February 9, l995


CONTACT:  (313) 226-9509








     United states Attorney Saul A. Green announced that Jake A.
Baker, Alan known aa Abraham Jacob Alkhabaz, an undergraduate
student at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, was charged
today in a federal criminal complaint With transmitting a threat
to injure "Jane Doe,  a student at the University of Michigan.
Baker was arrested on the complaint in Ann Arbor at approximately
1:00 p.m. and subsequently transported to the federal courthouse
in Detroit for an initial appearance.


     Mr. Green stated that the criminal charge is based upon a
series of transmissions Mr. Baker made on the Internet computer
network.  on approximately January 19, 1995, the University of
Michigan Department of Public Sarety became aware that Baker had
transmitted communications on the Internet describing violent sex
acts against women, and that at least one transmission identified
Jane Doe as the specific victim of sexual torture and murder.  A
series of subsequent transmissions between Baker and others on
the Internet system discussed plans for the abduction, torture,
and murder of women.


     Mr. Green explained that Mr. Baker's transmissions on the
Internet gave rise to a charge under 18 U.S.C. s 875(c), which
criminalizes the transmission in interstate or foreign commerce
of a communication "containing any threat to kidnap any person or
any threat to injure the person of another."  Mr. Green further
emphasized that the criminal complaint against Baker is merely a
charging document, and that Baker is presumed innocent of the
charge.  The investigation, which is being handled by the Federal
Bureau of Investigation, is still in progress,








                        AFFIDAVIT




Greg Stejskal, being first duly sworn, states:




     1.    I am  a Special  Agent  with the  Federal  Bureau  of
Investigation, and have been so employed for the past 19 years.
be following is known to me to be true through personal interviews
and investigation.




     2 .  Abraham Jacob Alkhabaz, also known as Jake Baker , is an
undergraduate student at the University of Michigan (UM) in Ann
Arbor,  Michigan. Baker has access to computers and has been
assigned a unique name (password/identifier) by the university.
Baker has, via his computer, access to a computer network commonly
referred to as "Internet." Internet is a world-wide information
network used in interstate and foreign commerce.   Accordingly,
Material transmitted into Internet is communicated and distributed
in interstate and foreign commerce.




     3.   On or about  January 19,  1995, University of Michigan
Department  of Public  Safety  (UMDPS)  becamee aware  of  certain
activities of Jake Baker, i.e., the transmission into Internet of
"stories"  graphically  depicting  violent  acts  against  women.
Further, UMDPS learned that at least one of these transmissions
named a female student at US as the specific target/victim.  The
name of the female student is known to me, but will be identified
in this affidavit only as "Jane Doe."




     4.  On January 20, 1995, Baker was contacted by UMDPS officers
regarding the Internet transmissions.  After being advised of and
waiving his Miranda rights, Baker admitted writing and "posting"
(transmitting) several depictions  into  the Internet  computer
network.  these transmissions were placed in a "compartment" of the
system labelled "alt. sex stories (a.s.s.)"




     5.  The transmissions distributed by Baker through Internet
described Baker's desire to commit acts of abduction, bondage,
torture, mutilation, sodomy, rape and murder of young women.  The
depictions  of  these  criminal  acts  are  extremely graphic  and
detailed.




     6.   In a preface to one of the transmissions,  with an
unidentified victim, Baker writes, "Torture is foreplay, rape is
romance, snuff is climax."




    7.  one of the depictions transmitted by Baker into Internet
Involved UM Co-eds Jane Doe, who Baker identified by her true name,
Using her last name as the title of the "story."  In a portion of
Baker's expressed desire to injure Jane Doe, Baker states:




Then, Jerry and I tie her by her long brown
hair  to  the  ceiling  fan,  so  that  she's
dangling in mid-air.  Her feet don't touch the
ground,  She kicks trying to hit me, Jerry or
the gorund (sic).  The sight of her wiggling
an mid-air,  hands rudely taped behind her
back, turns me on.   Jerry takes a big spiky
hair-brush and start beating her small breasts
with it, coloring them with nice red marks.
She  screams  and  struggles  harder.    I've
separated her legs with a spreader-bar; now I
stretch out her pussy lips and super-glue them
wide open.   Then I take a heavy clamp, and
tighten it coer her alit.   once it's tight
enough, I let go.


Thus transmission and other similar transmissions may have been
posted previously, but were posted or reposted on or about January
1, 1995.




     8.  Baker knew Jane Doe as a class-mate from a Japanese class
at UM  in the Fall  of  1994.   Jane  Doe  is aware of Baker's
transmission concerning her and ir frightened and intimidated by
it.


     9.  In late January l995, Baker signed various consent forms
giving permission to the UMDPS to search and/or access his room,
personal papers and computer files.   This included the use of
Baker's  unique  password,  which  provided  access  to  Baker's
electronic mail  (e-mail).   The hearth of the assail produced
numerous messages between Baker and an individual identifying
himself as Arthur Gronda supposedly residineding in Ontario, Canada.
In these messages sent and received via Internet, Baker and Gronda
discuss means of torture and acts of actual serial killers that had
been reported in the media.   Further, Baker and Gronda discuss
actually getting together to commit the acts Baker had previously
depicted and transmitted.   The following is an excerpt from a
message sent by Baker to Gonda on or about December 9, l994:


I just picked up Bllod (sic) Lust and have
started to read it.   I'll look for "Final
Truth" tomorrow (payday).  One of the things
I've  started doing is going back and re-
reading earlier messages of yours.  Each time
I do, they turn me on more and more.  I can't
wait to see you in person.  I've  been trying
to  think  of  secluded  spots,  but my  area
knowledge of Ann Arbor is mostly limited to
the campus.  I don't want any blood in my
room, though I have come upon an excellent
method to abduct a bitch ---


As I said before, my toom is right across from
the girl's bathroom.  Wiat (sic) until late at
night, grab her when she goes to unlock the
door.  Knock her unconscious and put her into
one of those portable lockers (forgot the word
for it), or even a duffle bag.  Then hurry her
out to the car and take her away . . . what do
you think?


On or about December 10, 1994, the following response was sent via
lnternet to Baker by Gonda:


Hi Jake.   I have been out tonight and I can
tell you that I am thinking more and more
about "doing" a girl. I can picture it so
well . . . and I can think of no better use
for their flesh.   I HAVE to make a bitch
suffer!




10.   Based on the aforementioned facts, there is probable
 cause to believe that Abraham Jacob Alkhabaz, also known as Jake
 Baker,  knowingly transmitted a threat to injure the person of
 another in interstate and foreign commerce in violation of Title
 18, United States Code, Section 875(c).






                                   __________________________
                                   Greg Stetskal, Special Agent
                                   Federal Bureau of Investigation




Subscribed and sworn to before
me this 9th day of February, l995.


_____________________________________
Hon. Thomas A. Carlson
United States Magistrate Judge




                       - - -
              ANDREW S. BRENNER, Esq


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