PITTSBURGH — A California man who is accused of extorting a Pitt student is now facing new charges after police say he continued to harass her from jail.
Michael Anthony Vaca, 19, of Hollister, California, was arrested on Feb. 12 after police filed charges against him.
According to a criminal complaint, he was harassing a young woman from California and threatening her family while she was separated from them because she was attending the University of Pittsburgh. They said he used extortion tactics to get sexual photos, favors and money from her.
Court documents filed on Monday said Vaca was first taken to the San Benito County Jail after his arrest. While awaiting extradition to Pittsburgh, police say he immediately began making calls to the victim. Police said the victim answered some of these calls because she knew they were being recorded.
According to police, Vaca attempted to guilt the victim into dropping the charges against him by saying it could “ruin his life” and that he “wouldn’t survive in jail.” He also allegedly threatened to sue her family.
Before his arrest, police noted at least three times when Vaca threatened to ruin or destroy the victim’s life.
In the court documents filed Monday, investigators said Vaca also had a third-party contact the victim via calls and Snapchat.
Police said, on Feb. 13, they contacted Vaca and told him that if he or anyone else contacted the victim on his behalf again, he would be subjected to charges of victim intimidation. He said he understood.
On March 4, Vaca was accepted into the Allegheny County Jail.
Police said a detective was alerted to several phone calls made to the victim from the jail. They checked the call records and learned that Vaca tried to call the victim 109 times between March 5 and March 9.
Detectives have since blocked the victim’s number from the Allegheny County Jail list.
Police said on March 9, he tried to make three more calls to the victim, despite the number being blocked.
Vaca is being held without bail and is listed as a threat to the victim and the community.
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