A federal judge in Charlotte sentenced a South Carolina man and woman on Thursday for a relentless cyberstalking campaign that targeted a young man with intellectual disabilities, ultimately leading to his death.
Trysten Anthony Cullon, 27, was handed a 41-month prison sentence, while his co-defendant, 27-year-old Jade Ashlynn Stone, received 27 months. Following their release, both must serve three years of supervised probation and pay $26,699.65 in restitution. The pair had previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit cyberstalking.
The case centered on the treatment of 27-year-old Christopher Tsoulos, a Charlotte fast-food worker who lived with a developmental disability. Prosecutors say the scheme began on September 5, 2024, when Cullon met Tsoulos at his workplace and gained access to his unlocked phone.
Over the next several days, Cullon and Stone used the device to bypass security on Tsoulos’s bank accounts and payment apps, though their attempts to steal funds were largely unsuccessful.
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When the digital theft failed, the couple turned to extortion. They sent a barrage of “harassing and intimidating” text messages to Tsoulos’s family members, demanding cash. To pressure the family, Cullon and Stone threatened to destroy the young man’s reputation by telling his employer he was a “pervert” who paid for sexual images—claims investigators confirmed were entirely false.
The psychological pressure proved fatal. Fearing the loss of his job and the potential for legal trouble based on the couple’s lies, Tsoulos died by suicide.
“This case is heartbreaking,” said U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson. “To fuel their drug addiction, Cullon and Stone turned to preying on the most vulnerable among us. Christopher had a developmental disability and lent his phone to a stranger out of kindness—only to have that stranger use the phone to steal his money.”
FBI Special Agent in Charge Reid Davis noted the calculated nature of the crime, stating that the couple “intentionally tormented” a man who relied on his family for daily support. During the sentencing, U.S. District Judge Max O. Cogburn, Jr. described the defendants’ actions as a “particularly egregious version of this crime.”
The investigation was a joint effort between the FBI and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. Cullon and Stone remain in federal custody and are awaiting transfer to a Bureau of Prisons facility.
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