26-Count Grand Jury Indictment for Man Threatening 10 People with Mutilation, Rape, and Bodily Harm
LOS ANGELES – A cyber stalking case brought before the Grand Jury returned a 26-count
indictment for a Pasadena man. Samuel Trelawney Hughes (31) a citizen of the United
Kingdom, was charged “with making a series of detailed threats to harm, rape and kill 10 victims he met in various social and business settings,” said Thom Mrozek of the Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Hughes “was charged with seven counts of stalking, nine counts of making online threats, three counts of mailing threatening communications, and seven counts of witness tampering,” added Mrozek.
After one victim filed a complaint with the Internet Crimes Complaint Center (www.ic3.gov), the FBI launched a May 2019 investigation. Investigators discovered handles and online aliases including xavier.herrera666, parsonstheo38, theoparsons4, tony.hawk.exskater,
tony.flavelle450, byword.photography, julius.caesar411, charlotte.massey400, and
a.total.wanker400.
Hughes allegedly sent an email in October 2019 to a victim who’d reported prior threats to law
enforcement, containing the violent threat, “someone I can guarantee will come out and first
bash you head in, rape you slash your throat and burn your car and house.” Another alleged
threat followed, that read in part: “I will rip your f****** throat out and stab you in the eyes and put gasoline over your half mutilated body.”
Victims received communications from Hughes conveying specific threats of harm, and/or
hopes that they would die, alleges the indictment. The defendant was found to sometimes use
aliases, his real name, or social media accounts to conceal his true identity.
The FBI and state law enforcement contacted Hughes multiple times about his reported
activities. Regardless, the online and mailed threats continued, according to this case’s
previously-filed criminal complaint – allegedly stating that contacting the police would lead to
injury or death of the victim or their loved ones.
Hughes was arrested twice in June by the Los Angeles Police Department and the Pasadena Police Department as a result of separate investigations. The Los Angeles County District
Attorney’s Office and the Pasadena City Attorney’s Office filed charges.
On July 10th, Federal Prosecutors filed a criminal complaint against the suspect. Hughes was
taken into custody on July 24th by state authorities, and has been in federal custody ever since.
The charges in the indictment are allegations – the defendant is presumed innocent unless and
until proven guilty.
All stalking counts and the charges stemming from the alleged threats carry a statutory
maximum penalty of five years in federal prison. The 7 witness-tampering counts each carry a
maximum possible penalty of 20 years in prison.
Hughes is scheduled to be arraigned on the indictment in United States District Court on August 13th. Assistant United States Attorney Lauren Restrepo of the Cyber and Intellectual Property Crimes Section is Prosecutor.
The FBI is conducting the ongoing investigation, and urges anyone who thinks they may have
received threats from Hughes to call the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office (310) 477-6565.
