Three University of Florida students charged over alleged cyber-harassment of Maddie Kowalski

Gainesville police have charged University of Florida students Kamran Ahmed, Brendan Pitfield and Jacob Gomberg with sexual cyber-harassment linked to the alleged distribution of intimate material involving student Maddie Kowalski, according to reporting by WIRED.

Ahmed also faces a third-degree felony charge alleging sexual cyber-harassment for financial gain. The charges concern material Kowalski says was recorded and shared without her consent through anonymous social-media accounts associated with the loosely connected “burnerverse” of college sports fans.

Kowalski has filed civil lawsuits against all three men in the Northern District of Florida, seeking financial damages. A police complaint alleges Ahmed and Pitfield used university IP addresses to access burner accounts, though the allegation has not been established in court.

Pitfield has pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor charge. Ahmed and Gomberg declined to comment through a lawyer, while the University of Florida declined to comment on the students’ standing, citing student-privacy laws.

Theta Chi said Ahmed and Pitfield had been placed on interim suspension pending an internal investigation. The criminal charges and police account are allegations, and no finding of guilt has been reported. The status and outcome of the criminal proceedings and civil lawsuits were not stated.