MySpace suicide charges unusual

LOS ANGELES — The groundbreaking move by federal authorities to indict a Missouri mother on charges connected to the suicide of a 13-year-old MySpace user has sent a strong message to the online world: Internet impostors may be prosecuted.

"The Internet is a world unto itself. People must know how far they can go before they must stop," FBI official Salvador Hernandez said Thursday as prosecutors unveiled a case that employs laws usually used against hackers to go after the alleged perpetrator of a false-identity hoax.

Lori Drew, 49, of suburban St. Louis, was charged with conspiracy and fraudulently gaining access to someone else's computer. She allegedly helped create a MySpace account in the name of someone who didn't exist to convince young neighbor Megan Meier that she was chatting with a 16-year-old boy named Josh Evans.

Megan hanged herself at home in October 2006, allegedly after receiving a dozen or more cruel messages, including one stating the world would be better off without her.

"They exploited a young girl's weaknesses," Hernandez said.

The indictment alleges one count of conspiracy and three counts of accessing protected computers without authorization to get information used to inflict emotional distress on the girl.

Drew has denied creating the account or sending messages to Megan.

Dean Steward, a lawyer representing Drew in the federal case, said a legal challenge to the charges was being planned. He characterized them as unusual and puzzling.

"We thought when prosecutors in St. Louis looked at the case and all the facts, it was clear no criminal acts occurred," Steward said.

Megan's mother, Tina Meier, said she believed media reports and public outrage helped move the case forward for prosecution.

"I'm thrilled that this woman is going to face charges that she has needed to face since the day we found out what was going on," she said.

Megan's father, Ron Meier, 38, said he began to cry "tears of joy" when he heard of the indictment.

Tina Meier has acknowledged Megan was too young to have a MySpace account under the Web site's guidelines, but she said she had been able to monitor the account closely. Meier's family also has acknowledged that Megan also was sending mean messages before her death.

Megan was being treated for attention deficit disorder and depression, her family has said. Meier has said Drew knew Megan was on medication.

U.S. Attorney Thomas O'Brien said this was the first time the federal statute on accessing protected computers has been used in a social-networking case. It has been used in the past to address hacking.

"This was a tragedy that did not have to happen," O'Brien said at a Los Angeles news conference. Both the girl and MySpace are named as victims in the case, he said.

MySpace is a subsidiary of Beverly Hills-based Fox Interactive Media, which is owned by News Corp. The indictment noted that MySpace computer servers are located in Los Angeles County.

FBI agents in St. Louis and Los Angeles investigated the case, Hernandez said.

Each of the four counts carries a maximum possible penalty of five years in prison.

Federal officials said Drew will be arraigned in St. Louis and moved to Los Angeles for trial.