South Carolina couple sentenced for scam that pushed disabled man to suicide

Federal prosecutors said a drug-addicted South Carolina couple is being sent to federal prison after they stole an intellectually disabled man’s phone and threatened his family members with false claims that he sexually abused girls, ultimately driving the victim to take his own life.

Authorities said Trysten Anthony Cullon and Jade Ashlynn Stone were both sentenced to 41 and 27 months, respectively, on cyberstalking charges for their scheme in which they targeted a man who was “educable mentally disabled.”

“The case is heartbreaking. There was not a dry eye in the courtroom at sentencing,” said Russ Ferguson, the U.S. attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. “To fuel their drug addiction, Cullon and Stone turned to preying on the most vulnerable among us.”

Cullon and Stone targeted fast-food employee Christopher Tsoulos, 27, who lived with his family in the Charlotte, North Carolina, area, because of his condition.

In September 2024, court documents said, the couple took the victim’s phone and transferred his money into their personal accounts.

Prosecutors said the duo then began contacting the victim’s family members and threatened to contact his employer with fabricated claims of his criminal sexual behavior.

Cullon and Stone falsely accused the victim of harassing young girls and paid minors to send him sexually explicit pictures, according to the filing.

The victim ended up taking his life, prosecutors said.

“This couple intentionally tormented a young man with intellectual disabilities for personal enrichment,” said Reid Davis, the special agent in charge for the FBI’s North Carolina Field Office. “While Christopher’s life is priceless and his family is forever changed, we hope a federal prison sentence will bring some form of justice and comfort for his loved ones.”