A former Marine, Eric Anthony Galvan, was sentenced to 24 months in federal prison, followed by three years supervised release, for cybercrime.
District Court of Guam Chief Judge Frances Tydingco-Gatewood sentenced Galvan, 36, on Thursday.
Galvan pleaded guilty to unauthorized access of a protected computer in federal court on Friday.
He was also indicted for one count of cyberstalking and one count of video voyeurism following a week’s worth of incidents in March 2023.
Those charges were dismissed as part of a plea agreement, and Galvan faced up to five years in prison.
Galvan said he spent his life building himself into someone who acted with honor, good character and sound judgment. He earned a master’s degree and spent time in the U.S. Marines before an honorable discharge.
His wife at the time was a doctor, in residency at a Florida hospital.
He was a stay-at-home dad who raised their daughter while mom spent resident hours at work, and was exhausted every time she came home.
Yes, said Galvan, there were fights. They had already initiated divorce proceedings.
But he loved being a father most, so when mom and daughter moved to Guam in January 2024, Galvan followed. He got a job to pay child support, and his own place to live. He had his daughter on weekends, and she had her during the week.
In early March 2023, things got ugly. He learned his soon-to-be-ex-wife had another man in her life. Galvan accessed his estranged wife’s home more than once, without her knowledge or permission. He put a tracking device on her car, took pictures of her text messages, and had a picture of her slashed tires on his phone.
On March 12, Galvan took a video of him bringing their 5-year-old daughter to her house and nudging her to the bedroom, where her mom was engaged in sexual activity. The mom later reported Galvan to the Guam Police Department before he was indicted in federal court in August 2023.
In January 2024, Galvan pleaded guilty to the unauthorized access to a protected computer, a felony.
Before Tydingco-Gatewood handed down his sentence, the judge went through the standard practice of getting input from Chief Probation Officer Jeffrey Ventura, and the Assistant U.S. Attorney assigned, Benjamin Petersburg.
Both parties recommended a prison sentence of 18 months. Tydingco-Gatewood chose a longer one
Briana Kottke, from the federal public defender’s office, said her client has no criminal record, and has done everything right since his arrest and pre-trial detention.
She suggested a probation-only term, which would allow him to continue employment while nurturing his relationship with his daughter.
Tydingco-Gatewood commended Galvan for being a model detainee. She said that she took many things into consideration, including his service, education, clean criminal record and felt he was genuinely sorry.
She also read from a letter sent by his now ex-wife, who said she is still scared, and recommended Galvan serve between one and two years in prison.
The judge said she had to respect the victim’s wishes. Tydingco-Gatewood said she could still feel the victim’s fear while reading her words.
The judge reminded Galvan that what he did was horrible, and he nodded. He said his life as he knew it was “obliterated” when he gave in to emotions last year, and he is truly sorry.
When Galvan addressed the court, he reiterated that his only focus in life now was to build his relationship with his daughter.
Tydingco-Gatewood said he would still have time to do that upon his release from prison in two years.
Through Kottke, Galvan requested that he serve his sentence in San Pedro, California.
Although he could have self-surrendered to U.S. marshals in a week or two, Galvan asked to be remanded to their custody immediately. As Kottke stated, the earlier he starts his sentence, the earlier he’ll finish.
Galvan will also get credit for some jail time served.