This post was originally written by Kevin Tierney on More Than The Curve (Conshohocken News, Events and Guides – MoreThanTheCurve.com).
United States Attorney David Metcalf announced on September 8th that 60-year-old Scott Testa of Lafayette Hill was arrested and charged by indictment with two counts of cyberstalking, due to the alleged online conduct targeting a local government official, a police officer, and their families.
The defendant appeared in federal court on September 8th for a hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Scott W. Reid, at which Testa was ordered detained in federal custody pending trial.
The indictment alleges that, on multiple dates in April 2026, Testa, with the “intent to harass and intimidate two victims affiliated with Whitpain Township, used the internet and/or electronic mail to engage in a course of conduct that caused, attempted to cause, and would be reasonably expected to cause substantial emotional distress to the victims.”
This alleged harassment and intimidation included posting on Reddit an “AI-altered image depicting one victim wearing a white Ku Klux Klan robe with the name of his current employer in the background, and included false information about the victim, which defendant Testa knew to be false when it was posted.” Testa is also alleged to have posted the “names of this victim’s children and an address of a home which he believed to be the victim’s true home address.”
With regard to the second victim, during the same time period, Testa is alleged to have “posted on Reddit an AI-altered image of a second victim and his family, including his minor children, with their faces exposed so that they could be identified, depicting them all wearing white Ku Klux Klan robes.” When posting the photographs, Testa is said to have identified the victim and his family. Additionally, Testa is alleged to have posted messages directed at the victim, such as “‘we are watching you,” “we are coming,” and “…This does not get erased; it’s forever. Your career and your family’s future is going to be pockmarked with you cowards. … we are going to run you out of town.”
If convicted, Testa faces a maximum possible sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment, three years of supervised release, a $500,000 fine, and a $200 special assessment.
This case was investigated by FBI Philadelphia’s Fort Washington Resident Agency and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney J. Jeanette Kang.
The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
Photo – Zimmytws’s Images via Canva