On January 27, 2022, the FBI arrested Luke Wenke in Olean, NY on suspicion of cyberstalking and making interstate threats. The first document on this page is the federal government’s criminal complaint detailing the charges and allegations in the case. The second document is an order of detention remanding Wenke into custody without bail as he awaited his next court hearing.
Prosecutors accused Wenke of stalking a Minnesota defence attorney who represented his romantic obsession in a criminal case.
At around the time of George Floyd’s murder in 2020, Wenke became fixated on a so-called “Boogaloo Boi” named Ryan (who also goes by Benjamin). After learning that Ryan was in Minneapolis protesting, Wenke drove there and joined his group for a week or two. Several months later, the FBI busted Ryan for conspiring to provide material support to Hamas.
Wenke and Ryan never met back up after the Minneapolis protests, but Wenke only became more obsessed with Ryan over time. After learning about Ryan’s arrest, he contacted Ryan’s attorney and tried immersing himself in discussions about the case. He also began contacting Ryan’s family in his efforts to stay connected to his object of obsession.
When Ryan failed to contact Wenke from jail, Wenke assumed that Ryan’s lawyer and parents were purposely “keeping them apart.” He also became frustrated with the slow progress of Ryan’s case and began blaming Ryan’s defence attorney for failing to resolve the matter to his standards.
In reality, Ryan did not want to interact with Wenke, who continued to believe they were destined to ride off in the sunset together even after his letters to Ryan began being returned to his house.
The criminal complaint further explains how Wenke’s harassment against Ryan’s attorney escalated amid is growing desperation to talk to Ryan..
Citing attorney-client privilege, Ryan’s lawyer politely asked Wenke to stop contacting him, but Wenke went on to send dozens of emails to the attorney over a year-long period, including more than 60 which were sent after the request for no further contact was made. Wenke also allegedly harassed the victim over the phone and even showed up at his office but was turned away by security. On at least one occasion, the attorney sent his staff home early because he was worried for their safety due to Wenke’s behaviour.
In addition to directly harassing the victim, Wenke wrote false one-star reviews about the victim’s business online. In early 2022, Wenke hurled anti-Semitic slurs at the victim and threatened to attack him with a steel chair.
Luke Wenke’s Arrest
On January 28, 2022, the FBI arrested Luke Wenke in Olean, NY on suspicion of cyberstalking and making interstate threats. He was detained without bail at the Niagara County Jail, marking the beginning of a seemingly never-ending court case that continues to run my life to this day.
My Connection to Wenke
Luke Wenke and I were friends for many years, but he changed for the worse as time went on. He was angry and upset about not having a long-term romantic partner, and he took his rage out on me. When I heard about Wenke’s arrest, I immediately felt relieved. Knowing how far he went in his efforts to destroy lives, I had started to feel trapped in the friendship. I feared I would become his next target if I stopped being his friend, but I desperately wanted out. Unfortunately, my plan to stealthily slip out of the picture was wishful thinking.
USA v. Luke Wenke (1:22-cr-00035)
Document #1: Criminal Complaint – Filed January 27th, 2022
Here’s the Order of Detention:
Document #5: Order of Detention – Filed January 31st, 2022 5 – Order of Detention