A former UB student was arrested Thursday morning and charged with cyberstalking after he allegedly flew from Los Angeles to the Buffalo area to stalk a former UB course instructor.
The alleged stalker, 45-year-old Daniel Richter, started calling and emailing his former instructor last December, just weeks after he was released from federal prison, federal and Niagara County law enforcement officials say.
Between mid-December and his arrest this week, Richter allegedly sent the former instructor over 600 emails and left her approximately 94 voicemail messages. The emails ranged “from incoherent rambling to sexual and/or threatening comments,” according to the warrant for Richter’s arrest. In one, Richter allegedly wrote that he would travel to Niagara County to see the victim in the case.
Officers arrested Richter in an Amherst hotel room Thursday morning after he flew into Buffalo, according to a statement from federal prosecutors. Investigators found “a photograph of the victim, the victim’s contact information, a ski mask and hair dye” in Richter’s hotel room.
Richter began stalking the instructor in the spring of 2002, when he was a student in her class. The instructor reported that Richter sent her “increasingly bizarre” emails throughout the semester and would follow her to the parking lot after class.
Niagara County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Richter in 2008 for sending his former instructor “postcards with stranger messages” and for “leaving harassing voicemail messages on her work phone.” Richter pleaded guilty to fourth degree stalking and was fined.
In 2018, Richter resumed harassing his former instructor by leaving more voicemails and sending her packages, postcards and emails. He was charged with interstate communication of threat to injure and sentenced to two years in federal prison.
If convicted on the cyberstalking charge, Richter faces up to five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.
Sol Hauser is the senior news editor and can be reached at sol.hauser@ubspectrum.com
Grant Ashley is the editor in chief and can be reached at grant.ashley@ubspectrum.com
Grant Ashley is the editor in chief of The Spectrum. He's also reported for NPR, WBFO, WIVB and The Buffalo News. He enjoys taking long bike rides, baking with his parents’ ingredients and recreating Bob Ross paintings in crayon. He can be found on the platform formerly known as Twitter at @Grantrashley.
