Córdoba: Sentenced to six years in prison for digitally extorting his ex-partners

For more than a year, Paulo Alejandro Arrieta committed a series of serious crimes against two of his former partners in Córdoba. The man used intimidation, harassment, and psychological violence as part of his sustained conduct. He also used digital means to control and extort his victims.

The case was tried by the Third Criminal Chamber, which decided to sentence him to six years and seven months in prison. The decision came after a summary trial, where Arrieta confessed to having committed ten crimes between 2022 and 2023. Among them were threats, coercion, forced confinement, physical violence, and digital actions.

According to the investigation, Arrieta used social networks, phones, and intimate files as mechanisms to harass and dominate the victims. He demanded money from one of them under threat of disclosing her HIV diagnosis. He also forced her to use drugs as a condition to remain in the relationship.

He used networks, files, and threats as tools of control

In addition to invading the privacy of a former partner by accessing her cell phone without permission, he also used that data as extortion material.He constantly controlled the other victim through social networks and hid medication she needed. The violence was expressed both directly and through digital means.

Judge María de los Ángeles Palacio de Arato highlighted the significance of digital violence in the development of the events. In her ruling, she emphasized that the harm caused to the victims went beyond the physical. She stressed the psychological impact and the deterioration of their freedom and autonomy.

The magistrate pointed out that this type of violence produces lasting effects on emotional health. She stated that it also affects productivity, social integration, and overall well-being. She also warned that it can isolate victims both in the digital environment and in real life.

A ruling that considers the violence inflicted

The events judged reveal a pattern of repeated manipulation and control over time. The evidence provided by the victims was key to confirming each of the episodes. The defendant accepted his responsibility for all the acts he was charged with.

Arrieta was taken into custody and will have to serve the sentence in a penitentiary facility. The ruling considers both the harm inflicted in person and that caused through electronic devices. The decision was considered significant among recent cases of digital violence in the province.