For woman with fake nude photos of herself online, truth is key

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For years Katie Krausz has been finding a nude photo of herself online without ever haven taken nude photos, because someone used a photo of her from social media and turned it into a nude image. Tariq Zehawi/NorthJersey.com

PARAMUS, N.J. — For the last eight years, a 27-year-old woman felt compelled to disclose when starting a new job or a new relationship that fake nude photos of herself existed on the Internet.

Though she never put up or posed for explicit photos, Katie Krausz said she had to be upfront about the digitally altered images out there — even with family.

“To have to tell your parents that there are naked pictures of you online is a terrifying experience, especially considering I know I never had a naked picture,” said Krausz. “So the only thing I was able to find comfort in this whole time was that I knew that I was telling the truth.”

After the Nov. 27 arrest of Daniel Pfeiffer, 28, on charges including invasion of privacy of a different woman, Krausz said she wanted to share her story publicly. Krausz said photos that first surfaced in April 2011 were posted to the Internet by Pfeiffer, who has not been charged with any crime in the Krausz case.

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The Bergen County (N.J.) Prosecutor’s Office told her no criminality could be proved, Krausz said. The Prosecutor's Office said they could not comment on Krausz's situation because it did not lead to criminal conviction.

“When I say I went into job interviews and had them know everything that was on the table, nine times out of 10, they pull up a computer and look" at the photos while she was sitting there, said Krausz, who works in the health care field. “So it’s an embarrassing thing to happen, but it’s something that I’ve tried taking in stride and using it to make sure something gets done about it.”

Pfeiffer’s lawyer, Raymond Flood, would only say his client has pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

In April 2011, Krausz said, she received "lewd comments" on Facebook and figured her account was hacked. She then saw her face plastered online with a nude body.

"I reached out to a mutual friend on the Old Tappan (N.J.) Fire Department and I said, ‘Listen, I don’t know where this came from.' I’m shocked as it is," Krausz said. "And he turned around and said, ‘This is something Dan has been doing for years.' "

The photos allegedly posted by Pfeiffer of Krausz came as a surprise to her, she said. Their fathers knew each other. Krausz's father is a volunteer firefighter. Krausz said Pfeiffer was a family friend and it never went beyond that.

Reached by phone, Pfeiffer's mother declined to comment.

Krausz said she went to the Prosecutor’s Office in the hope of removing the photos, but they remained.  

“It’s disgusting,” said Krausz’s mother, Kathy Krausz. “You want to get physical. How could you not when it’s your own daughter?”

The New Jersey State Police investigates identity theft cases. In a statement, state police said it is an invasion of privacy if someone uses photos without the consent of the subject.

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“It’s different for my work life and my family life versus more of new friends, like the group of friends that I was hanging out with from Old Tappan," Krausz said about the experience. "They disappeared as soon as this all started happening, for one reason or another. I wasn’t talking to a lot of people about it at the time, because, again, we were always hoping that something would be done on the legal end of it.”

Arrest history

According to jail records, Pfeiffer remained in the Bergen County Jail after his November arrest. His arrest marked the third time since December 2015 that he was charged with stalking and invasion of privacy. 

His next court hearing is scheduled for Jan. 4 in Superior Court. On Jan. 5, Pfeiffer has a hearing on violation of probation.

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Pfeiffer was first charged Dec. 14, 2015, with stalking and invasion of privacy. In that instance, Pfeiffer and another man allegedly made social media accounts in a woman's name without her knowledge or consent. They also allegedly uploaded sexually explicit images of the woman to those accounts. He pleaded guilty to stalking Feb. 6, 2017.

On June 10, 2016, Pfeiffer was arrested again and faced charges including invasion of privacy, identity crime impersonation and cyber harassment, according to court records. Pfeiffer pleaded guilty to stalking Sept. 15, 2017. His Internet use was restricted.  

While Pfeiffer was charged, he worked as a volunteer firefighter in Old Tappan. Old Tappan Mayor John Kramer said in November that Pfeiffer had not been with the department since his arrest. 

According to public records, Pfeiffer's separation from the department happened Nov. 29. The reason for the separation was that he resigned.

“There were certain aspects of the entire situation that led me to believe he was not part of the department at that time,” Kramer said in a brief phone interview. “At that time, I didn’t know he resumed activities at the Fire Department.”

When asked whether he was surprised about Pfeiffer’s involvement with the Fire Department after his arrest, Kramer had no comment.

Old Tappan Fire Chief of Department Dave Keil did not respond to a request for comment. 

Krausz said she hopes that sharing her experience will encourage others who went through what happened to her to come forward.

“It’s something I’ve always been upfront about, and it’s finally at a stage where I’m not embarrassed to have this conversation with people, because I know I didn’t do anything wrong,” she said.  

Follow Keldy Ortiz on Twitter: @keldyortiz