A Florida man who was accused of posting sexually explicit images of his ex-girlfriend to the Internet has broken his silence following the dismissal of criminal charges against him.
In October, Hillsborough County prosecutors dropped all charges against Ryan Seay, whose girlfriend, Holly Jacobs, had claimed he’d spread hundreds of explicit pictures and videos of her on the Internet. But Seay said the damage has already been done.
“I want nothing to do with her. For the past five or six years, she’s been nothing but a bane to my existence,” Seay told WTSP. “The situation has done damage. And the girl that I knew is long gone.”
The couple dated on and off since high school, but parted ways for good on amicable terms in late 2008.
In 2009, Jacobs claimed Seay had hacked her Facebook account and posted nude photos of her on it.
Jacobs also said nude photos and video of her were posted to a revenge porn site, and even sent to her boss, according to WTOP. She had her name changed to avoid association with the photos, which she shared with Seay during their relationship.
According to the Miami New Times, Jacobs brought her case to the Miami-Dade County Sheriff’s Office, who wouldn’t investigate since she had originally consented to take the photos. She convinced Hillsborough County deputies to investigate, and Tampa prosecutors brought charges against Seay in March 2012.
Jacobs launched a media blitz, but Seay said counsel advised him not to speak out due to the criminal charges. Seay told WTSP that during the investigation, Jacobs even sent him and email saying that she would “do and say whatever I have to… to make sure that you get what you deserve and will never work again.”
“She has been bullying me for the past year,” Seay told the Miami New Times in October. “Holly is guilty of the exact same thing that she is accusing me of: taking these pics, splashing them internationally, and attaching my name to them. She has ruined my life.”
The charges were dropped Oct. 17, after prosecutors couldn’t find sufficient proof that Seay was behind the alleged smear.
The New Times reported:
“The only evidence that investigators had unearthed was a tenuous link between his computer network and a fake email account created in his ex’s name. But detectives couldn’t prove Seay had created the email account or used it to disseminate any photos.”
The charges may have been dropped, but for Seay, the fight to clear his reputation has just begun.
“My family, my girlfriend, my true friends have been on my side. But, my work has suffered. People Google my name, and this comes up,” Seay told WTSP. “They should have never charged me in the first place. If you read through that probable cause affidavit, there’s nothing there.”
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