Evan Baltierra, a former LA World Airport Police officer, was arrested by federal authorities for allegedly stalking and harassing a World of Warcraft Twitch streamer. Baltierra, 29, will appear in US District Court on Tuesday, according to the US Department of Justice. Justice Department.
Since 2020, Baltierra has allegedly been stalking and harassing a former Twitch streamer known online as Nali. Nali detailed the harassment in a January TwitLonger post, claiming that Baltierra had threatened her, her boyfriend, and their families with violence, as well as spreading images of her face being edited onto naked bodies.
In a statement, the U.S. Baltierra first met the streamer at 2019 BlizzCon, Blizzard Entertainment’s annual gaming convention, during a meet-and-greet with fans, according to the Department of Justice. According to an affidavit written by Federal Bureau of Investigations special agent Steven Wrathall and reviewed by Polygon, he was previously a moderator of her Twitch stream, but after their meeting at BlizzCon, Nali removed him.
Baltierra’s harassment allegedly escalated from there, according to the affidavit, before Nali, a Canadian resident, filed a restraining order against him. Baltierra agreed to stop harassing the streamer after signing a civil agreement.
He allegedly continued to harass Nali and others associated with her, including disclosing personal information such as her full name and a street address. He had learned the address during the hearing.
He also allegedly sent Nali, her friends, and family escalating threats of violence, as well as attempting to hire a private investigator to locate her address. He is also accused of using his background as a former US marine and ex-Los Angeles World Police officer as a form of intimidation.
Due to the harassment, Blizzard reportedly banned Baltierra from World of Warcraft and its Battle.net platform multiple times, including a permanent ban. According to the affidavit, Baltierra attempted to appeal the bans but was denied.
According to Nali, Blizzard also hired an “extra security person” for her at events, and Baltierra’s photo was distributed among security, with Baltierra described as a threat.
The FBI raided Baltierra’s home on March 22 and discovered “many” saved “photoshopped nudes” of the streamer, as well as evidence that he owned the email addresses used to send harassing messages.
If convicted, Baltierra faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison. He has been released on bond and will be arraigned on June 27.