Pittsburgh man pleads guilty to stalking and threatening 11 women; his indictment says he took ChatGPT replies as encouragement to keep harassing
A Pittsburgh man pleaded guilty in March 2026 to 11 federal counts of cyberstalking, interstate stalking and interstate threats against 11 women between May and November 2025. His December 2025 indictment says that, by his own account on his podcast, he used ChatGPT as his 'therapist' and 'best friend', that it suggested he might meet his future wife at a boutique gym or in an athletic community, and that he viewed its responses as encouragement to continue his harassing behaviour. Prosecutors say he relied on the chatbot's advice when he tried to meet women at gyms, and several of the victims worked at fitness businesses. Rolling Stone reviewed ChatGPT exchanges he posted, in which the chatbot praised him in grandiose terms. The chatbot's role rests on his statements and the prosecution's account; sentencing was postponed in August 2026.
AI involvement reported · Causal attribution alleged · 7 sources, 3 underlying accounts · Added 13/01/2026