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news Domain transfer at gunpoint - DoItForState.com

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Social media influencer plotted to take internet domain at gunpoint. It didn't end well
By Faith Karimi, CNN
Updated 1251 GMT (2051 HKT) April 21, 2019

190420074454-rossi-lorathio-adams-exlarge-169.jpg


Rossi Lorathio Adams II
(CNN)

Adams, 26, founded a social media company called "State Snaps" four years ago. The company operates on various social media platforms, including Snapchat, Instagram and Twitter, court documents said.

At one time, Adams had over a million followers on his social media sites, which mostly contained images and videos of young adults engaged in crude behavior, drunkenness and nudity," court documents said.

His followers often used the slogan "Do it for state" when posting videos and images. So, Adams tried to purchase the internet domain "doitforstate.com" from a Cedar Rapids resident who owned it, court records said. But the owner did not want to part with it.

"Between 2015 and 2017, Adams repeatedly tried to obtain 'doitforstate.com,' but the owner of the domain would not sell it. Adams also threatened one of the domain owner's friends with gun emojis after the friend used the domain to promote concerts," court records show.
Then he had an idea: Why not take it by force?

In June 2017, Adams enlisted his cousin to break into the domain owner's home and force him to transfer it. The cousin drove to the domain owner's house and provided a demand note, which contained instructions for transferring the domain to Adams, court records show.
After entering the home, the intruder grabbed the victim's arm and ordered him to connect his computer to the internet.

He put the firearm against the victim's head and ordered him to follow the instructions. "Fearing for his life, the victim quickly turned to move the gun away from his head. The victim then managed to gain control of the gun," court records show.

The victim shot the intruder multiple times and called the police.
The intruder, Adams' cousin Sherman Hopkins Jr., was sentenced to 20 years in prison last year.

Now it's Adams' turn. He will remain in custody pending sentencing. He faces a maximum 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.

https://edition.cnn.com/2019/04/21/us/iowa-social-media-influencer-domain-name-trnd/index.html
 
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The views expressed on this page by users and staff are their own, not those of NamePros.
Domaining is a very dangerous business. :nailbiting:
 
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These extreme cases are but blip on the whole domaining business. They are interesting to read about in passing. Much bigger, and much worse, is the amount of times scammers rob legitimate domain owners of their domains. And then sell them onto other people for a profit. Meaning both the original owner and the new buyer can be subjected to losses. This is still a thriving business. Domainer beware! Buyer beware!
 
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probably could have bought that name for few hundred bucks and avoided all this mess.
 
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What happened to doitforstate.net/co which are for sale? Or even doitforstate.info which is not registered currently? Soon people will start dying for .com domain names(n)
 
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then you raise your buying price you don't ruin your life over it. yipes. :jawdrop:
 
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Social Media Influencer Sentenced to 14 Years for Devising Plan to Steal Domain Name at Gunpoint ... read more (people com)
 
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Have to be careful nowdays....
 
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The whole thing could have been avoided had the domain owner purchased Whois Privacy.

.......This message has been brought to you by Godaddy Sales Team.

:xf.wink:
 
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The story posted on Medium.com is an excellent read. I'll link it here since the other thread was closed.

The Influencer and the Hit Man
How a years-long domain name feud ended in a bloody shootout
https://onezero.medium.com/the-influencer-and-the-hit-man-6c3905efd3c3

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This dude really recognized the value in owning the exact match .COM for the brand he was trying to create. He could have registered the .co or .io of course, but the elusive .COM drove him to consider drastic measures to acquire it. I wonder if either of the Deyo brothers are NP members? Quite the story!
 
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