Evie Summers
In 2011, a Canadian woman named Shelly Lynne Chartier allegedly created a fake Facebook account impersonating Chris Andersen, a former professional basketball player. Posing as Andersen, she communicated with a 17-year-old girl in California and simultaneously posed as the minor to Andersen, eventually orchestrating a real-life meeting between the two. While Andersen believed the girl to be an adult, Chartier was charged with possession and transmission of child pornography, extortion, and personation.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name of the accused | Shelly Lynne Chartier |
| Age of the accused | 29 |
| Place of residence of the accused | Manitoba, Canada |
| Name of the victim | Chris (Birdman) Andersen |
| Age presented to the accused | 17 |
| Real age of the victim | 17 |
| Place of residence of the victim | California |
| Crime | Impersonation, extortion, threatening a minor via text message, possessing and transmitting child pornography |
| Punishment | 1 year in prison |
| Age of consent in the state where the victim and accused met | 17 |
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What You'll Learn
Shelly Lynne Chartier's catfishing of Chris Andersen
Shelly Lynne Chartier, a 29-year-old woman from a remote town in northern Manitoba, was accused of impersonating and extorting Miami Heat centre Chris (Birdman) Andersen as part of a tangled catfishing scheme. Chartier allegedly created a fake Facebook account claiming to be Andersen and began corresponding with a 17-year-old girl in California who was familiar with Andersen and had previously tried to contact him. Chartier simultaneously posed as the 17-year-old and communicated with the real Andersen, manipulating their conversations and acting as the puppet master for their interactions.
Chartier allegedly arranged a real-life meeting between Andersen and the 17-year-old, Paris Dunn, in Colorado. Dunn presented herself as being 21, and the age of consent in Colorado is 17. After the meeting, Chartier continued to pose as one or the other, with neither party realizing who they were truly communicating with. Chartier also posed as the 17-year-old and her mother to Andersen, demanding $3,000 in hush money.
The case, which was described as "Manti Te'o on steroids," involved what has been called a "double-catfish" and remarkable coincidences. Chartier set up fake social media accounts for both Andersen and Dunn and reached out to the real Andersen from the 'Dunn' account. Another fake account, "Tom Taylor," was used to facilitate the in-person meeting between Andersen and Dunn in Denver. During this meeting, the 33-year-old Andersen engaged in sexual contact with then-17-year-old Dunn.
The online relationship continued after the meeting but eventually fizzled out. Dunn continued to message the 'Andersen' account, and Chartier claims that the ''Tom Taylor' account was then used in a blackmail scheme to threaten the release of explicit images sent by Dunn. This led to police involvement. Chartier was arrested on January 15, 2013, and pleaded guilty on August 20, 2015, to various charges, including impersonation, extortion, uttering threats, and fraud. She was sentenced to 18 months in prison, the maximum penalty, and served a year of her sentence, including 50 days in solitary confinement. She was released on October 22, 2016, and has repeatedly expressed a desire to move on with her life.
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Chris Andersen's encounter with a 17-year-old
Chris Andersen, nicknamed "Birdman", is an American former professional basketball player. In 2011, a Canadian woman named Shelly Lynne Chartier allegedly created a fake Facebook account pretending to be Chris Andersen. Through this account, she began corresponding with a 17-year-old girl in California who was familiar with Andersen and had previously tried to contact him. Chartier simultaneously posed as the 17-year-old and communicated with the real Andersen, controlling all of their online interactions.
Within the next six months, Chartier allegedly arranged a physical meeting between Andersen and the 17-year-old in Colorado. The girl, according to Andersen, presented herself as being 21 years old, and the age of consent in Colorado is 17. Andersen's lawyer stated that no crime was committed and that the girl "spent some time with Chris and went home".
After the meeting, Chartier allegedly continued to pose as one party to the other, with neither Andersen nor the girl realizing who they were truly communicating with. Chartier also posed as the 17-year-old and her mother to Andersen, demanding $3,000 in hush money.
Chartier was charged with "possession of child pornography, personation, extortion, transmission of child pornography, and utter threats". She served a year in prison for impersonation. Andersen was investigated but not charged with a crime.
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The 17-year-old's identity and age
Shelly Lynne Chartier, a 29-year-old woman from a remote town in northern Manitoba, Canada, was accused of impersonating Miami Heat centre Chris (Birdman) Andersen as part of a catfishing scheme. Chartier allegedly created a fake Facebook account claiming to be Andersen and began corresponding with a 17-year-old girl in California who was familiar with Andersen and had tried to contact him in the past.
Posing as the 17-year-old, Chartier communicated with the real Andersen, orchestrating their conversations and acting as the puppet master for their online interactions. During this time, Chartier allegedly arranged a real-life meeting between Andersen and the 17-year-old in Colorado. Andersen stated that the girl presented herself as being 21, and no crime was committed as the age of consent in Colorado is 17.
After the meeting, Chartier allegedly continued to pose as one party to the other, with neither Andersen nor the 17-year-old realizing they were still communicating with Chartier. Chartier was also allegedly posing as the 17-year-old and her mother to Andersen, demanding $3,000 in hush money.
While little is known about the 17-year-old girl, it is clear that she was a California resident who was familiar with Andersen and had tried to contact him in the past. It is also important to note that the 17-year-old's identity remains confidential, as she was a minor at the time of the incident.
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Chartier's extortion and threats
Shelly Lynne Chartier, a 29-year-old woman from a remote town in northern Manitoba, Canada, was accused of impersonating and extorting Miami Heat centre Chris (Birdman) Andersen as part of a tangled catfishing scheme. Chartier allegedly created a fake Facebook account claiming to be Andersen and began corresponding with a 17-year-old girl in California who was familiar with Andersen and had previously tried to contact him.
Chartier simultaneously posed as the 17-year-old and communicated with the real Andersen, controlling all of their online interactions. She then allegedly arranged a real-life meeting between Andersen and the 17-year-old in Colorado. The age of consent in Colorado is 17, and Andersen stated that the girl presented herself as being 21. After the meeting, Chartier allegedly continued to pose as one or the other, with neither party realizing who they were truly communicating with.
Chartier also allegedly posed as the 17-year-old and her mother to Andersen, demanding $3,000 in hush money. She was charged with "possession of child pornography, personation, extortion, transmission of child pornography and utter threats". Chartier served a year in prison for impersonation, while Andersen was investigated but not charged with a crime.
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Chartier's punishment and Andersen's exoneration
Shelly Lynne Chartier, a 29-year-old woman from a remote town in northern Manitoba, Canada, was accused of impersonating Miami Heat centre Chris (Birdman) Andersen and extorting him as part of a complex catfishing scheme. Chartier allegedly created a fake Facebook account claiming to be Andersen and began corresponding with a 17-year-old girl in California who was familiar with Andersen and had previously tried to contact him. Posing as both the 17-year-old and her mother, Chartier arranged a real-life meeting between Andersen and the girl, who presented herself as being 21. After the meeting, Chartier continued to pose as one or the other, with neither party realizing who they were truly communicating with.
Chartier was charged with "possession of child pornography, personation, extortion, transmission of child pornography and utter threats". She served a year in prison for impersonation. During the investigation, Andersen's home was searched as part of an investigation into child pornography, but he was not charged with any crime. The age of consent in Colorado, where the meeting took place, is 17.
In the aftermath of the scandal, Andersen fired his longtime lawyer and sports agent, Mark Bryant, claiming that Bryant stole money from him, handed Netflix the rights to his life story for free, and shuttered his in-laws' restaurant. Andersen described Bryant's actions as "theft," "malpractice," "betrayal," and "devastation".
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Frequently asked questions
It is unclear if Chris Andersen slept with a 17-year-old girl. Andersen claims that the girl presented herself as being 21 years old.
Shelly Lynne Chartier, a 29-year-old woman, allegedly created a fake Facebook account claiming to be Chris Andersen and began corresponding with the 17-year-old girl.
No, Andersen was investigated but not charged with a crime. The age of consent in Colorado, where the meeting took place, is 17.
Yes, Chartier was charged with possession of child pornography, impersonation, extortion, transmission of child pornography, and uttering threats. She served a year in prison for impersonation.
Yes, Chartier was also allegedly posing as the 17-year-old and the 17-year-old's mother to Andersen, demanding $3,000 in hush money.
