Levittown Episode 5: Vigilantes Expose Deepfake Creator Scott Trent Costa

Facing the Harasser in Court

• 💡 Kayla, a victim of deepfake harassment, recounts the shock and disbelief upon learning Patrick Cary was behind the explicit images.
• 💔 Cary's actions had profound real-world consequences for Kayla, leading to body image issues and a complete alteration of her self-perception.
• ⚖️ During court appearances, victims and their families faced Cary, with one father physically restrained from attacking him.
• 🎤 Kayla delivered a powerful victim impact statement, directly confronting Cary and expressing her anger and the lasting emotional damage.

The Hunt for the Deepfake Creator

• 🔍 Investigator Will Wallace in New Zealand took on the mission to shut down the website and identify its creator.
• 🕵️ Wallace utilized a hacked database to connect a burner email used for the website to an account on Cafe Press, revealing a unique password.
• 💻 By analyzing other accounts with the same password, Wallace identified a potential suspect: Scott Trent Costa.
• 💰 Further investigation, including a $99 payment to the website, linked Scott Trent Costa to a company called Cloud Cyber Services LLC, confirming his role.

Online Vigilantism and Legal Battles

• ✊ Frustrated by law enforcement's perceived inaction, Wallace and a Reddit community, including user Claudia Lopez, launched a coordinated campaign against Scott Trent Costa and his website.
• 💥 Hackers, including one known as 'pom pom purin', infiltrated Costa's accounts, obtained his driver's license, and created a website to expose him.
• 🚫 The vigilante efforts led to the website's ads being pulled and its hosting provider, Dos Guard, terminating their relationship, causing the site to go offline.
• ⚖️ Scott Trent Costa is now under investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, with his mother reporting Secret Service agents inquiring about threats he allegedly made online.

The Evolving Threat of Deepfakes

• 🔄 Despite takedown efforts, the website reappeared under a new name, 'tribute.printedpic.com', indicating the persistent nature of online abuse.
• 📧 Claudia Lopez reported receiving emails from someone she believes to be Scott, taunting her for reporting child abuse material.
• 💻 The investigation into Scott Trent Costa continues, with reporters still seeking to speak with him directly, highlighting the ongoing challenges in addressing deepfake technology and its creators.
• ⚠️ The episode touches upon the arrest of 'pom pom purin' (Connor Brian Fitzpatrick) for running a dark web marketplace and the discovery of child sexual abuse material on his computer, underscoring the complex and often dark nature of the online world.