BOSTON — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - Massachusetts), published as received.

BOSTON – A Rigby, Idaho man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for cyberstalking a Massachusetts professor over the course of nearly six months.

Edward John Kay, 54, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Julia E. Kobick to two years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Kay was also ordered to pay $16,586.31 in restitution. In January 2026, Kay pleaded guilty to one count of cyberstalking. In July 2025, Kay was arrested and charged by criminal complaint.

Kay met the victim in January 2025 when he enrolled in the victim’s online course, which the victim taught at a university’s extension school. After one Zoom meeting with the victim and one virtual class session, Kay became fixated on the victim, dropped the course, and proceeded to harass and intimidate the victim over email and LinkedIn.

Between January and July of 2025, Kay sent the victim over 80 harassing communications via LinkedIn and email and also posted about her publicly on LinkedIn. In the communications, Kay oscillated between expressing his love and admiration for the victim, to threatening her safety and livelihood. Some of the communications also mentioned the victim’s minor child by name. The communications included:

  • A LinkedIn message, in which Kay stated: “I miss you-truly, deeply- with all of my heart and soul. That day I saw you on Zoom…You were the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. Not just appearance. Everything. Your presence. Your mind. Your light. To gain you…and then to lose you like that? It devastated me;”
  • An email sent to several of the university’s offices with the victim copied, in which Kay threatened to file a licensing board complaint against the victim unless the university complied with his demands and stated: “Dr. [victim’s last name] has been copied on all communications. She knows what is coming.” He added that this was only the “VERY BEGINNING” because “Every day, starting today, will mark a **new action of serious consequence**, taken by me in accordance with divine alignment and institutional justice;” 
  • An anonymous email sent to the victim from the email address [victim’s name]consience@protonmail.com, in which Kay professed his love for the victim, encouraged the victim to leave the university and stated, “You are still free. But you are not unreachable.”; and
  • A poem posted publicly to his LinkedIn profile in which he described the victim as a mouse living in a maze that needed to be set on fire.

In addition, Kay told another university professor about his obsession with the victim and his desire to separate the victim from her husband. After his arrest, Kay’s partner told law enforcement that Kay believed he was going to build a compound in Wyoming and live there with the victim and her minor child.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by FBI Salt Lake City and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Allegra Flamm of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.