N.H. man sentenced in elaborate cybercrime
New Hampton resident posing as relative of Miley Cyrus manipulated teen into sending nude photos
CONCORD – Pop star Brandon Cyrus is the little brother of Miley Cyrus, with acting credits in several high-profile Hollywood productions, and an active social media presence, including 1.6 million followers on Twitter.
The only problem is, Brandon Cyrus does not exist. He is the creation of Brandon Gray, a New Hampton man who used the persona to lure a New Hampshire teen into sending him nude photos, according to documents filed in the U.S. District Court in Concord.
Gray, 22, was sentenced Tuesday to 70 months in state prison, or more than five years, as well as 15 years supervised release after being convicted of possession of child pornography and cyberstalking. The alleged victim is a New Hampshire teen who befriended Gray/Brandon Cyrus via the internet.
According to court records, Gray’s elaborate, internet-based Brandon Cyrus’ identity includes a real Twitter page with 1.68 million followers. On that page, and elsewhere online, he claims to be the brother of Miley Cyrus. Gray also created a fake Internet Movie Database, or IMDB, page for Brandon Cyrus, and he claims to have appeared in several movies, including “Hannah Montana” and “The Hunger Games,” according to prosecutors. Along with the web pages, Gray rented a post office box in Los Angeles in order to receive fan mail as the Brandon Cyrus claims to live in Beverly Hills.
The victim reached out to Gray sometime in 2014, when he was 14 and himself seeking a way to break into the entertainment industry, according to court records. The two developed a romantic relationship and Gray, as Cyrus, got the teen to send him numerous nude photos and sexually explicit videos.
Gray/Cyrus never sent any photos or videos of himself to the teen. In fact, during their relationship, the two only ever communicated online and never in person, according to court records. When they did engage in online video chats, Gray/Cyrus managed to cover his face in order to conceal his true identity.
Eventually, the victim figured out Brandon Cyrus was a fake and tried to break off the relationship. That’s when Gray began stalking him online, threatening to publish the nude photos and videos, according to court documents. He harassed the victim, and started sending threats to the victim’s friends.
“I’d want you guys to tell (the victim) to email me immediately, because I’m seriously not playing any (deleted) games and I will post them uncensored,” Gray wrote. “He has an hour and no more warnings. I really don’t care if we both get in trouble….”
Soon, the victim went to police and Gray was questioned, according to court records. Acting U.S. Attorney John Farley stated investigators found various images and videos considered to be child pornography in Gray’s possession after executing a search warrant.
“Cyber predators cannot hide behind a computer screen,” Farley said. “When their actions cause real harm, there will be real consequences.”
The Telegraph reached out to Gray through his Brandon Cyrus web page and Twitter account, but Gray has yet to respond.
Damien Fisher can be reached at 594-1245 or dfisher@nashuatelegraph.com or @Telegraph_DF.