The former commander of the naval warship Pearl Harbor in San Diego was sentenced Friday to three years and one month in federal prison after being convicted of cyberstalking an ex-girlfriend, creating fake online accounts in her name and posting private photos to embarrass her. federal prosecutors said.

Navy Capt. Theodore Essenfeld, 53, was found guilty by a federal jury in San Diego of identity theft for using the victim’s name and date of birth without authorization to create fake accounts.

The verdicts, handed down in July, followed a four-day trial in which prosecutors presented evidence of what they said in court documents was Essenfeld’s “calculated and extensive 15-month campaign” to use fake Facebook and LinkedIn accounts .

“Viewing this conduct as a single 15-month campaign understates the seriousness of Essenfeld’s conduct,” the prosecution wrote in the sentencing brief. “This conduct cumulatively involved dozens, if not hundreds, of individual decisions and actions.”

Essesnfeld’s attorney, Kerry Armstrong, told the Union-Tribune he was disappointed by the sentence and had instead hoped for time served and probation. He said Essenfield plans to appeal the verdicts.

“He certainly made a huge error of judgment in his actions in this case, but we don’t believe his conduct was criminal in nature,” Armstrong said. “He proudly served his country for 34 years in the Navy and it would be a real shame for his amazingly successful career to end in this way.”

Essenfeld has had several notable assignments in the Navy, including serving as the commanding officer of Pearl Harbor from 2016 to 2018. In court documents, Armstrong said his client “was just weeks away from taking command of the USS San Diego ( an amphibious landing craft). ) when he was arrested” in the cyberstalking case.

San Diego U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath said in a news release that the sentence “marks the end of this perpetrator’s reign of cyber terror.”

“Cyberstalking is not just a nuisance or a harmless prank; it is a serious crime with devastating consequences,” McGrath said. “The torment this victim endured had a profound impact on her life, and those who think they can hide behind a screen should know that justice will prevail.”

According to the sentencing document filed by prosecutors, Essenfeld and the victim met while both lived locally and continued a long-distance relationship after Essenfeld was transferred to an assignment in Colorado.

After a mistake and reconciliation, prosecutors alleged, Essenfeld opened fraudulent email accounts using the victim’s personal information, then used those accounts to register fake Facebook and LinkedIn profiles in the victim’s name.

After they broke up, the posting escalated, prosecutors said. She allegedly gave out her identity, sometimes including her hometown, college and real work history, and interacted in dating groups, “soliciting sexual interest from men,” prosecutors said. They said he posted private photos and explicit content and also bought a hot phone to log into the account.

“Each step was a single, calculated act in furtherance of Essenfeld’s objective to punish and injure (the victim) for their breakup,” they argued.

Essenfeld was first charged in early 2023. Prosecutors said that while Essenfeld was out of custody awaiting trial, he created “fan club” accounts on social media with the victim’s name, photos and personal information . Prosecutors referred him to U.S. District Judge Robert Huie, who ordered his arrest about a month before the trial.

At Friday’s sentencing, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Huie acknowledged the victim’s ordeal, praising her “courage and strength to intervene.”