Second Man Charged in Alleged Plot to Hijack Internet Domain

Rossi Lorathio Adams II, also known as “Rossi Adams” and “Polo,” from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has been charged with one count of Conspiracy to Interfere with Commerce by Threats and Violence.­  The charges are contained in an Indictment unsealed today in United States District Court in Cedar Rapids. 

­The Indictment alleges that, in about June 2017, Adams conspired to obtain an Internet domain, doitforstate.com, from E.D., by extortion.  That is, it is alleged that Adams conspired to obtain E.D.’s consent to obtain the domain by the wrongful use of force, violence, and fear.

Adams’s arrest follows the arrest, prosecution, and conviction of Sherman Hopkins, Jr. for Interference and Attempted Interference with Commerce by Threats and Violence.  In June 2018, Hopkins was sentenced to the statutory maximum sentence, twenty years’ imprisonment, after he pled guilty to the crime of Interference and Attempted Interference with Commerce by Threats and Violence.

If convicted, Adams faces a possible maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release following any imprisonment.­  As with any criminal case, a charge is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

Adams appeared today in federal court in Cedar Rapids and was released on bond.  Adams’s next appearance is set for November 13, 2018.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Tim Vavricek and was investigated by the Cedar Rapids Police Department.  Court file information is available at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.  The case file number is 18-CR-86-CJW.  Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.