No crime by that name in New York
New York does not have an offense called cyber harassment. Online conduct is usually charged under the harassment, aggravated harassment, or stalking laws, and which one applies depends on what was sent, how often, and what it is alleged to have threatened. Courts have narrowed parts of these laws over free speech concerns, so offensive or hurtful speech is not automatically criminal. The questions that tend to matter are the intent behind the messages and whether they read as a genuine threat, and contact that continued after a request to stop can bear on intent. Federal law can also reach some online threats and stalking across state lines, although most of these cases stay in state court.
Who actually sent it
Attribution is disputed more often than people expect. Screenshots can be edited, accounts can be opened in someone else's name, and shared devices or shared passwords blur who typed what. Prosecutors may seek records from platforms and phone carriers to tie an account to a person, and those records have gaps of their own. If an account was impersonated or a login was compromised, tell your lawyer early so the right records can be requested before they are lost. Do not delete the account, wipe the phone, or edit the posting history, because that can look like concealment and can create a separate problem.
Before you speak with anyone
You have the right to decline a detective's request for an interview, and it is usually wiser to let a lawyer make that contact. Many people go in to explain the context and end up confirming authorship of the very messages at issue. If an order of protection has been issued, it typically covers online contact too, including comments, tags, and messages sent through other people. In a first conversation we go over what was reported, what the messages say in full, and whether there is a history running in both directions. We also look at any job, school, or immigration concern that makes the way this case is resolved especially important.
