New York State PoliceA female New York state trooper has been accused of catfishing a woman on a dating site, threatening to share her nudes if she didn’t buy her a fake driver’s license, according to reports.
Jennifer Daignault, from upstate Rome, is accused of posing as a man and engaging in a texting-only relationship with a 33-year-old woman from Nassau County.
She pleaded not guilty to three charges of coercion on Monday, according to Newsday.
New York State PoliceThe 31-year-old, who has been suspended with pay, faces up to seven years behind bars if found guilty of the charges.
It’s alleged she ‘catfished’ her victim on dating website PlentyofFish, before threatening to share her nude photos if she didn’t go to Queens and Manhattan to buy a fake driver’s licence under the name of a man living in upstate Manilus, according to the publication.
District attorney Madeline Singas cites Daignault as using one of her many fake male profiles to start an online relationship with the Nassau County woman between May 1 and July 21 last year.
UnsplashShe was arrested on September 13, 2018, the New York Post reports.
The state trooper, who is also facing charges of coercion, stalking and aggravated harassment in Oneida County, pleaded not guilty in December, court documents state.
The district attorney said in a statement:
This case highlights the need to be cautious when using online dating platforms and to limit the amount of personal information you share before meeting in person or speaking on the phone.
New York State PoliceGerard McCloskey, Daignault’s attorney in Mineola told Newsday he hasn’t yet seen the text messages involved in the case.
He told the publication:
I do think that these charges are overblown, and I anticipate that we’ll fight it out in court.
Daignault is due to appear in court on September 23.
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Emma Rosemurgey is an NCTJ trained Journalist who started her career by producing The Royal Rosemurgey newspaper in 2004, which kept her family up to date with the goings on of her sleepy north east village. She graduated from the University of Central Lancashire in Preston and started her career in regional newspapers before joining Tyla (formerly Pretty 52) in 2017, and progressing onto UNILAD in 2019.