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By Kalhan Rosenblatt
A man from Iowa who founded a social media company featuring young adults engaging in "gross behavior, drunkenness and nudity" was convicted of conspiring to view of stealing a man under the threat of a domain name, according to the US Attorney's Office in the North Iowa District.
Rossi Lorathio Adams II, 26, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, who was also referred to as "Polo," was convicted Thursday of conspiring for trade interference by force, threat, and violence , according to the US Attorney's Office.
As a student at Iowa State University, Adams founded the social media company "State Snaps" in 2015, which kept images and raw videos on sites like Snapchat, Instagram and Twitter. Supporters of "State Snaps" were encouraged to use the slogan "Do it for state!" when submitting content.
After founding the company, Adams attempted to buy the domain "mustforstate.com" from a resident of Cedar Rapids, who had refused to sell the webpage. Adams made several attempts to buy the estate between 2015 and 2017, according to the US Attorney's Office.
Adams owned the domain "doit4state.com" but felt that his company needed the domain "doitforstate.com".
After failing to convince the unidentified owner of "mustforstate.com" to sell the page, Adams enlisted his cousin, Sherman Hopkins, Jr., a criminal living in a homeless shelter, to force him into his owner's home transfer the domain to Adams.
On June 21, 2017, with instructions on how to transfer the estate, Mr. Hopkins entered the homeowner's house and pointed a gun at the owner's head while asking him to transfer the property, officials said.
The owner beat with Hopkins and was shot in the leg, but finally managed to take control of the weapon. He shot Hopkins several times in the chest before calling the police.
Hopkins survived his injuries and subsequently pleaded guilty to interference and attempt to interfere in the trade by threats and violence, according to the Cedar Rapids Gazette. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2018.
Adams, who has not yet been sentenced, faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in jail and a fine of $ 250,000.
Adams' attorney declined to comment to NBC News on his client's case.
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