Shelly Chartier

Last updated
Shelly Chartier
Born1983or1984(age 39–40)
near Easterville, Manitoba, Canada
Other namesEllie Marku
Known forMisleading NBA player Chris Andersen to initiate a relationship with a minor
Spouse
Rob Marku
​
(m. 2014)​

Shelly Lynne Chartier (born 1983/1984) [1] is a Canadian woman who became infamous for her online involvement in a catfishing scandal involving NBA basketball player Chris Andersen and a teenage aspiring model, Paris Dunn, among others. [2] [3]

Contents

Early life

Shelly Chartier led an isolated life as a self-proclaimed "hermit" for years, [3] caring for her sick mother Delia inside their small home in the tiny town of Easterville, Manitoba. [3] As a result of her mother's condition, she was mainly raised by her aunt, Cathy George, until her death in 2011. Chartier obtained only a 6th grade education, with her mother pulling her out of school following constant bullying, including other students stealing her shoes. The few friends she had around this time later drifted away from her. Chartier had had little to no contact with the outside world following this, saying "I went through a period where I didn’t leave my house for 11 years". [4] Chartier utilized the internet installed in her community in 2011 to facilitate connection and communication but had little real world experience.

Chris Andersen catfishing

When Chartier was 27 in 2012, Paris Dunn, 17, an aspiring actress, commented on a public status posted by NBA player Chris Andersen, 33, leaving her cell phone number. Seeing this, Chartier messaged Dunn as the NBA player and engaged in an online relationship. [5] Chartier proceeded to set up fake social media accounts for Andersen and Dunn, as well as reach out to the real Chris Andersen from the 'Dunn' account.

"Tom Taylor" (another fake account), a fictional friend of Andersen's, was used to facilitate a meeting between the real Andersen and Dunn, in Denver. It is unclear if Chartier is behind this account as she states she is not multiple times. During the in person meeting the 33-year-old NBA player engaged in sexual contact with a then 17-year-old Dunn. [5] The online relationship continued after the meeting but fizzled out. [3] Subsequently, Dunn continued to message the 'Andersen' account and Chartier claims that in an attempt to stop the 'annoyance' the Tom Taylor account was utilized in a blackmail scheme that threatened to release the explicit images Dunn sent, at which point the police were involved. [4] Chartier disclosed in the episode of Catfish: The TV Show based around the case that the "Tom Taylor" profile was never her and was the creation of another participant who the police were aware of. [5]

The nude photographs of the teenager were considered child pornography, [6] necessitating an investigation into Andersen. Andersen engaged in an online and in-person relationship with a 17-year-old, as she had given him the impression that she was a legal adult. [5] Although the relationship was initiated through the profile created by Chartier, Andersen and Dunn did have an in-person meeting where the 33-year-old had a sexual encounter with the teenager—who had lied about her age—in an incident Dunn labels as a "kiss" in the Catfish: The TV Show episode where she is continually sympathetic to Andersen. [5] Andersen was not charged with any crimes.

Arrest and imprisonment

Chartier was arrested on 15 January 2013. Chartier eventually pleaded guilty on 20 August 2015 to various charges of impersonation, extortion, uttering threats, and fraud under CA$5,000, stating that she was pregnant and that she was told if she pleaded guilty she would get house arrest. [5] A Gladue report was created, but it was barebones and did not provide the court with much information about her prior life circumstances. Chartier was sentenced to 18 months in prison on 14 October, the maximum penalty requested by the Crown, and served a year of the sentence, including 50 days in solitary confinement, at the Manitoba Women's Correctional Centre in Headingley. [3] She was denied parole three times during her incarceration. She was released on 22 October 2016. Following the arrest, she would come to be known as the "Ghost of Easterville", occasionally still being harassed when seen in public there, [4] and has repeatedly expressed a desire to be allowed to move on with her life after serving her time. [5] Chartier has stated she is remorseful for the incident but has not changed her story involving another participant. [3] The incident was called "the biggest catfish [case]... ever solved". [7] Following her release in Canada, it was reported that she still had an active warrant for her arrest out of Colorado, and if convicted of the charges there she could face multiple decades in prison.

Derivative works

The case inspired the Law and Order: Special Victims Unit episode "Intent". Further, a 2017 episode of Catfish: The TV Show included both Dunn and Chartier. Dunn wrote into the show after Chartier served her sentence in an attempt to reinvigorate attention surrounding the incident, continuing to frame Chartier as a master manipulator with a high chance of reoffending. [5]

Indictment: The Crimes of Shelly Chartier, a 2017 CBC documentary by Shane Belcourt and Lisa Jackson which aired as an episode of CBC Docs POV , has refocused the conversation around the case to center the isolated indigenous woman whom the media portrayed as the villain. [3] In the documentary, psychologists stated they believed money wasn't the main goal, and that Shelly may have acted in the way she did "to have other people in her place acting as avatars so she could experience what the others were experiencing" while not having to deal with the fear of leaving the safety of her home for the outside world.

Personal life

In 2014, Chartier married Rob Marku from Yonkers, New York [8] on Christmas Day. [4] A documentary of her life was produced by the CBC in 2017 [3] and she was the subject of Season 6 Episode 12 of Catfish: The TV Show. [5]

Chartier does not drink alcohol or smoke, saying she can't after seeing how her grandfather became irritable and mean while drunk often in her youth.

Until 2017, Chartier was unemployed, and as a result could not sponsor her husband for a visa to stay in Canada with her permanently. She eventually got a part-time position as a janitor in her Reserve's band office, and is now considered employed full-time as her mother's caregiver.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Andersen</span> American basketball player (born 1978)

Christopher Claus Andersen is an American former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "Birdman", Andersen was born in Long Beach, California, grew up in Iola, Texas, and played one year at Blinn College. Andersen began his professional career in the Chinese Basketball Association and the American minor leagues. He then played in the NBA for the Denver Nuggets and the New Orleans Hornets. He received a two-year ban from the NBA in 2006 for violating the league's drug policy, but was reinstated on March 4, 2008, and re-signed with the Hornets the next day. He returned to Denver later in 2008, and remained with the team until 2012. He signed with the Miami Heat in January 2013 and won a championship with them that same year. He and Oliver Lafayette are the only Blinn students to ever play in the NBA. He most recently played for Power in the Big3 league.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Easterville, Manitoba</span> Unincorporated community in Manitoba, Canada

Easterville is an unincorporated community, designated as a northern community, in the Canadian province of Manitoba.

Donald T. Sterling is an American attorney and businessman who was the owner of the San Diego/Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1981 to 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beverly Johnson</span> American model, actress (born 1952)

Beverly Ann Johnson is an American model, actress, singer, and businesswoman. Johnson rose to fame when she became the first Black model to appear on the cover of American Vogue in August 1974, after Donyale Luna was the first Black model to appear on the cover of British Vogue in 1966. In 2012, Johnson was the star of the reality series Beverly's Full House that aired on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). In 2008, The New York Times named Johnson one of the 20th century's most influential people in fashion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarah Jayne Dunn</span> English actress

Sarah Jayne Dunn is an English actress, known for portraying the role of Mandy Richardson on the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks from 1996 until 2021. In November 2021, Dunn was dropped from Hollyoaks after she joined the adult subscription service OnlyFans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fargo-Moorhead Beez</span> Basketball team in Fargo, North Dakota

The Fargo-Moorhead Beez was a professional basketball club based in Fargo, North Dakota that competed in the International Basketball Association (IBA) that began in the 1995-1996 season. They were the 1995-1996 and the 1997-1998 International Basketball Association champions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kobe Bryant sexual assault case</span> 2003–2005 legal matter

The Kobe Bryant sexual assault case began on July 18, 2003, when the news media reported that the sheriff's office in Eagle, Colorado, had arrested then-professional basketball player Kobe Bryant in connection with an investigation of a sexual assault complaint, filed by a 19-year-old hotel employee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern Lightning</span> Chinese new religious movement

The Church of Almighty God, also known as Eastern Lightning, is a monotheistic new religious movement which was established in China in 1991. Government sources estimate the group has three to four million members.

<i>Catfish</i> (film) 2010 American documentary film

Catfish is a 2010 film directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman. It involves a young man, Nev, being filmed by his brother and friend, co-directors Ariel and Henry, as he builds a romantic relationship with a young woman on the social networking website Facebook. The film was a critical and commercial success. It led to an MTV reality TV series, Catfish: The TV Show. The film is credited with coining the term catfishing: a type of deceptive activity involving a person creating a fake social networking presence for nefarious purposes.

<i>Catfish: The TV Show</i> American reality-based documentary television series

Catfish: The TV Show is an American reality-based documentary television series airing on MTV about the truths and lies of online dating. The series, which premiered on November 12, 2012, is based on the 2010 film Catfish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nev Schulman</span> American television host, producer and photographer

Yaniv "Nev" Schulman is an American TV host and producer. He is best known for the 2010 documentary film Catfish and the follow-up TV series Catfish: The TV Show on MTV of which he is the host and executive producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wab Kinew</span> Premier of Manitoba since 2023

Wabanakwut "Wab" Kinew is a Canadian politician who has served as the 25th premier of Manitoba since October 18, 2023. Kinew has served as the leader of the Manitoba New Democratic Party (NDP) since September 16, 2017 and served as Leader of the Opposition prior to the NDP's election victory in the 2023 Manitoba general election. He represents Fort Rouge in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.

Michele Diane Miscavige is an American Scientologist. She is a member of the Church of Scientology's Sea Org who married Scientology leader David Miscavige. She was last seen in public in August 2007. Since her disappearance, she has been the subject of speculation and inquiries regarding her whereabouts and wellbeing.

Melissa Ann Shepard, also known as Melissa Ann Weeks, Melissa Ann Friedrich, Melissa Ann Shephard and Melissa Ann Stewart, sometimes given the sobriquet of Internet Black Widow, is a Canadian murderer and habitual offender. Shepard has been convicted of manslaughter in the death of one of her husbands, convicted of poisoning another, and convicted of numerous fraud offenses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catfishing</span> Deceptive online social network presence

Catfishing refers to the creation of a fictitious online persona, or fake identity, with the intent of deception, usually to mislead a victim into an online romantic relationship or to commit financial fraud. Perpetrators, usually referred to as catfish, generally use fake photos and lie about their personal lives to present themselves as more attractive for financial gain, personal satisfaction, evasion of legal consequences, or to troll. Public awareness surrounding catfishing has increased in recent years, partially attributed an increase in the occurrence of the practice combined with a number of high-profile instances.

Maura Pfefferman is a fictional character on American web series Transparent, created by Joey Soloway, the series creator and showrunner. Maura is a divorced, Jewish, L.A.-located retired college professor of Political Science and parent of three who comes out as transgender. The character is portrayed by actor Jeffrey Tambor. The role and Tambor's performance have received critical acclaim; among other awards, Tambor has won his first Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in 2015 for the role, and has twice been nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy, winning once in 2015.

Online child abuse is a unique form of child abuse also known as “Cyber Molestation” due to its virtual, distanced, and anonymous nature. Such abuse may not happen face-to-face, nor does it necessarily require physical contact. However, online abuse can result in negative face-to-face consequences in the form of statutory rape, forcible sexual assault, harassment, etc. In the United States, online child abuse is recognized as a form of child abuse by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.

Pamela Jayne Holopainen was a young Inuk woman who disappeared in Timmins, Ontario, in 2003. As of 2022, her whereabouts and the circumstances of her disappearance remain unknown.

References

  1. ↑ Boyd, Flinder (2014-05-28). "The Birdman's Vengeful Ghost". Newsweek. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
  2. ↑ "How this woman catfished an NBA star and an aspiring model". ABC News. ABC News. 17 April 2017. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "The untold story of Shelly Chartier: the rural Manitoba woman who catfished the stars". CBC Radio. 2017-10-26. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Mahboob, Tahiat (2017). "International catfishing scandal that rocked the sports world: Key moments in Shelly Chartier case". CBC. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Groome, Imogen (2017-05-22). "Catfish spoilers: The catfish that took Nev and Max to the edges of civilisation". Metro. Retrieved 2021-04-27.
  6. ↑ "How NBA star, aspiring model became victims of a massive catfishing scheme out of Canada". ABC News. Retrieved 2021-06-07.
  7. ↑ "Chris "Birdman" Andersen's Catfish Shocks Nev and Max". Us Weekly. 18 May 2017.
  8. ↑ McIntyre, Mike (15 October 2015). "Husband of reclusive celebrity-obsessed con artist standing by his wife". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.