MISSOULA — A Bigfork man who threatened and harassed his victim through text messages has been sentenced to 46 months in prison to be followed by 3 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme announced.
Jeremiah Daniel Starr, 25, pleaded guilty in August 2025 to one count of cyberstalking.
“Protecting victims from harassment and stalking in this highly technical age is a growing concern, particularly in cases like this, where the defendant caused emotional distress to the victim for many years and even discharged a firearm at one point as part of his elaborate ruse. I want to thank the Assistant U.S. Attorneys and staff in our office, and our partners at the FBI, for their hard work on this case.” U.S. Attorney Alme stated in a news release.
“The defendant exploited the anonymity of the internet to harass and intimidate the victim, inflicting lasting fear and emotional harm,” said Special Agent in Charge Justin Gerken of the FBI Billings Field Office. “This case reflects the FBI’s extensive and persistent investigative efforts to protect the victim and hold the offender fully accountable.”
Prosecutors alleged in court documents that Jane Doe received threatening and harassing text messages from an unknown sender for almost three years. The culprit was not a stranger. Rather, it was Jane Doe’s “best friend,” Jeremiah Starr. When sending the messages by his cellular telephone, Starr masked his identity by using more than 50 unique phone numbers and NordVPN, which required the FBI to analyze over 1,100 distinct IP addresses.
On February 9, 2025, Starr used a firearm during the offense. Jane Doe was sleeping, and Starr pretended to “return” fire at individuals Starr alleged shot into Jane Doe’s apartment. None of that was true. Instead, Starr used a firearm to shoot rounds into the apartment and shot rounds outside the apartment as well. Starr lied about the shooting to harass Jane Doe and make her continue to think she was in danger. Jane Doe told investigators Starr’s harassment was unbearable and caused her significant emotional distress, the release states.
U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided over the sentencing. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cyndee Peterson prosecuted the case. The FBI conducted the investigation.
