Diana Louisa Napolis (born 1955),[1] also known by her online pseudonym Karen Curio Jones[2] or more often simply Curio,[3] is an American former social worker. Between the late 1990s and 2000, Napolis posted a series of pseudonymous accusations alleging that individuals skeptical of the satanic ritual abuse moral panic were involved in a conspiracy to cover up the sexual abuse and murder of children. The pseudonymous poster's real life identity was confirmed as Napolis in 2000.[4][5]
Diana Napolis | |
|---|---|
| Born | Diana Louisa Napolis 1955 (age 68–69) La Mesa, California, U.S. |
| Other names | Curio, Karen Curio Jones |
| Occupation | Former social worker |
| Known for | Celebrity stalking, conspiracy theorist regarding mind control and satanic ritual abuse |
In 2001, she was charged with stalking film director Steven Spielberg, and in 2002 faced more charges for making death threats against actress Jennifer Love Hewitt,[6] and was committed to a state hospital until fit to stand trial. After nearly a year in involuntary commitment and prison Napolis pleaded guilty to stalking and was released on probation.
Satanic ritual abuse allegations
editNapolis originally worked as a child protection worker for nearly 10 years (leaving the position in 1996), becoming involved in the satanic ritual abuse (SRA) moral panic that arose in the early 1980s. By the late 1990s the phenomenon was rejected by mainstream scholars and law enforcement experts, but Napolis continued to believe in the existence of SRA. Napolis held that those who had discredited the phenomenon were themselves child abusers involved in a conspiracy to conceal their activities from the public.[3]
Posting under the screen name "Curio", Napolis began a pattern of online harassment against those she believed were involved in the conspiracy, posting information about the individuals. Among those she targeted were Carol Hopkins, a school administrator who was part of a grand jury in San Diego, California that criticized social workers for removing children from their home without reason; Michael Aquino, a member of the Temple of Set and a lieutenant colonel in the United States Army Reserve against whom accusations of SRA were made but dropped as the accusations proved to be impossible;[7] and Elizabeth Loftus, a professor who studied memory who believed coercive questioning techniques by poorly trained investigators led to young children making false allegations of child sexual abuse.[8] Loftus was confronted at a New Zealand academic conference by a group of people who accused her of conspiring to help child molesters, with information consisting largely of the postings made by Napolis.[3] Napolis's actions against Aquino also led to the first ever lawsuit in the state of California that attempted to place responsibility for a Usenet poster's actions on their internet service provider,[9] and one of the first to be filed under the United States Communications Decency Act.[10]
Using public computers in internet cafes and libraries, Napolis concealed her identity for five years while continuing to post information online about those she believed were involved in the conspiracy. In 2000, private researcher Michelle Devereaux and the San Diego State University police tracked Napolis and caught her in the act of posting information as Curio online from a campus lab. No charges were filed, but by revealing her identity, those Napolis had harassed ceased to consider her a serious threat.[3] The story was reported in The San Diego Union-Tribune,[2] which was added to her online list of harassing parties.[6]
Celebrity harassment
editSteven Spielberg
editIn the fall of 2001, Steven Spielberg filed a restraining order against Napolis after she made harassing telephone calls to him. Napolis claimed Spielberg and his wife were part of a satanic cult operating out of his basement that had implanted a microchip called "soulcatcher" in her brain, an accusation to which Spielberg replied "To state the obvious, I am not involved with any form of manipulating Ms. Napolis' mind or body through remote technology or otherwise." Spielberg also expressed concern for the safety and security of his family.[1] His security team indicated they believed Napolis to be suffering from a delusional disorder and posed "a serious risk of violent confrontation". The judge ruled Napolis was barred from approaching within 150 meters of Spielberg and believed her to be a "credible threat" to the director.[11]
Jennifer Love Hewitt
editOn September 18, 2002, Napolis "verbally confronted" Jennifer Love Hewitt while entering the 2002 Grammy Awards, and on the next day attempted to pose as a friend of the actress to enter the premiere of The Tuxedo. On October 10 Napolis again tried to confront Hewitt at a filming, and emailed several death threats to the actress later that month.[6] In December 2002, Napolis was arrested for stalking and making death threats against Hewitt, charged with six felonies,[8] and remanded to San Diego County Jail on $500,000 bail. At her hearing, Napolis also admitted to becoming involved in a shoving match with Hewitt's mother while confronting the actress.[6] Napolis accused the actress and Spielberg of being part of a satanic conspiracy and using mind controlling "cybertronic" technology to manipulate her body. Napolis was committed to Patton State Hospital in 2003 for three years or until fit to stand trial.[3]
After nearly a year in jail, including five months in a state psychiatric facility where she was judged delusional but fit to stand trial,[12] Napolis pleaded guilty to stalking on September 29, 2003, receiving five years probation; in addition, she was required to enroll in a counseling program, surrender all firearms and other weapons, abstain from drugs and alcohol and refrain from using computers. Napolis was also barred from any contact with Spielberg, Hewitt and their families for 10 years and was required by the judge to continue taking prescribed medication.[13][14]
References
edit- ^ a b MacKenzie, D (October 20, 2002). "Spielberg Stalker in Mind-Bug Game". Sunday Mirror. p. 16.
- ^ a b Sauer, M (September 24, 2000). "A Web of Intrigue: The search for Curio leads cybersleuths down a twisted path". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved October 30, 2008.
- ^ a b c d e Bocij, Paul (2004). Cyberstalking: harassment in the Internet age and how to protect your family. New York: Praeger Publishers. pp. 33–35. ISBN 0-275-98118-5.
- ^ Andrew Schanie (September 29, 2010). Movie Confidential: Sex, Scandal, Murder and Mayhem in the Film Industry. Clerisy Press. pp. 230–. ISBN 978-1-57860-477-7.
- ^ Coates, Ashley (August 13, 2013). "Obsessed: The scariest stalker experiences". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
- ^ a b c d Sauer, M (December 31, 2002). "Stalking suspect to undergo more psychological tests". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved October 30, 2008.
- ^ Craddock, A (May 20, 1997). "Satanist Sues ISP to Silence Usenet Poster". Wired. Retrieved December 4, 2009.
- ^ a b De Young, Mary (2004). The day care ritual abuse moral panic. Jefferson, N.C: McFarland. pp. 234–5. ISBN 0-7864-1830-3.
- ^ Kupper, T (June 24, 1997). "Internet provider sued over postings: S.D. company targeted in defamation case". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved December 4, 2009.
- ^ "Lawsuit to test internet decency law cult's leader fought off child sex abuse charges". San Jose Mercury News. May 24, 1997. Retrieved December 4, 2009.
- ^ "Spielberg wins order banning cult stalker". The Australian. October 23, 2002. p. 12.
- ^ Silverman, SM (September 30, 2003). "J.Love Stalker Case Ends in Guilty Plea". People.com. Retrieved February 14, 2009.
- ^ "Woman Who Stalked Actress Sentenced to Probation, Mental Health Counseling". City News Service. November 5, 2003.
- ^ "Woman pleaded guilty to stalking Love Hewitt". The Globe and Mail. October 1, 2003. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
External links
edit- Statement by Napolis in People v. Napolis
- Michael Aquino response in Napolis v. Aquino et al. (2008)