Diana DeGarmo Stalker Apprehended in Australia
Diana DeGarmo, the talented singer who went from American Idol runner-up to Broadway, claims she's been the victim of an Internet stalker who stole her identity and blackmailed her.
The American Idol star, currently starring in "Hairspray" on Broadway, says the stalker first contacted her through DeGarmo's page on MySpace.
Appearing Tuesday night on Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor, DeGarmo said that a young Australian woman bombarded her with email and instant messages. The stalker then somehow got a hold of DeGarmo's cell phone number and called her up to 60 times a day.
The singer says the woman assumed her identity and used it on the Internet to solict sex and drugs. DeGarmo, who finished second to Fantasia Barrino on the third season of American Idol, told O'Reilly the woman then called her and asked for money to leave her alone.
The Broadway star tracked the stalker to Australia and reported her to police there. After an extensive search spearheaded by the FBI and the Australian Federal Police, Tanya Ouattrocchi was nabbed and is due to face a laundry list of charges in Melbourne Magistrates Court on December 11.
Assuming the guise of a 14-year-old "big fan" from Minnesota, Ouattrocchi was initially pleasant and complimentary when she first contacted DeGarmo via her MySpace page. But the communication reportedly deteriorated into stalker-like rants when Ouattrocchi began emailing her explicit material and "outrageous questions" about her sex life.
December 11th, 2006 11:40 PM
To Diana DeGarmo,
My name is Tanya Mamo and i writing to you in relation to the current charges you have on an old high school friend of mine Tanya Quattrocchi.
I understand that Tanya has been threatening you and causing you distress and i am sorry for that, but please don't go ahead with these charges.
As a close friend of Tanya for many years I know what she is like in terms of invading others privacy, but i assure you that she is harmless and only does it for attention. You see I'm pretty much Tanya's only friend, not a close one but never the less the only one that keeps in contact with her.
I know that this does not excuse what she has put you through but surly you can understand that your not the first person that she has ever done this too, and excuses me for being rude but just because your now classified as a celebrity now doesn't give you the right to make a big deal over having your email hacked into or getting nasty phone calls.
So please find it in your heart to go easy on her, she's not perfect but are any of us? She's made a mistake, a stupid one but still it was a mistake, but she has learnt her lesson believe me. I wish that it didn't have to come to this for her to learn her lesson, but perhaps it was the only way to get through to her.
Rest assure that she hasn't asked me to write this letter, i actually saw an article about in the local paper as i didn't realise that it was this serious.
Kind Regards,
Tanya Mamo.
Could someone please pass this letter on to Diana. I would really appreciate it.
December 14th, 2006 1:13 PM
Does Tanya Mamo actually exist? Or is she really the stalker using someone else's identity again? Only a stalker would make the comments that Tanyo Mamo has made. Either way, Diana has the right to press charges because no one has the right to steal your identity or stalk a person. The laws of this free world are there to protect us. Doppelgangers are dangerous and Diana has the right to be concerned about her safety. Much luck and continued success to you Diana. Stay strong.
December 14th, 2006 2:20 PM
"and excuses me for being rude but just because your now classified as a celebrity now doesn’t give you the right to make a big deal over having your email hacked into or getting nasty phone calls."
What an exceptionally stupid statement. Everyone has the right to "make a big deal" out of having their email hacked into or getting nasty phone calls.
December 14th, 2006 2:24 PM
Tanya,
Are you nuts! Of course your friend Tanya should have charges brought against her. That will be the lesson, being punished for it. Getting away will not teach her a thing. As you said she has done this befor. It's high-time someone forced her to stop, don't you think? Your comment about Diana being a celebrity sounds angry and nasty and makes one believe that you are capable of this kind of abuse of someone else as well (if you are not the same person). No one celebrity or not should have their privacy abused. If Tanya is a repeat offender she should pay for that even more.
December 15th, 2006 5:41 PM
Tanya MAMO (if that's your real name)
ARE YOU CRAZY!! Considering birds of a feather flock together, I am sure you are her only friend!! A prank is asking for a towel or used kleenex, not ONE MILLION DOLLARS!! If she has done it before...and often, she needs help! You are as delusional as your only friend! Famous or not, tell your only friend to get a life and learn a lesson from jail time or fines!! Go for it, Diana!!
PS I liked you better than Fantasia :)
December 15th, 2006 6:42 PM
I'm 99.9% convinced this letter was written by the stalker. If it wasn't, then Miss Mamo has some serious explaining to do as to why she knows that this isn't the first time that Tanya Quattrocchi has done something like this. If she knows this kind of information she very well could be an accessory to the other attempts of a crime. This information and letter should be passed along to the proper people for further investigation.
September 29th, 2007 3:36 PM
Hang the bitch.
December 30th, 2007 8:29 AM
Tanya Quattrocchi has also invaded my privacy. She hacked into my email account, sent emails to family and friends and also used my prepaid mobile number to use up my credit so i had to get another mobile number. She has also wrote nasty things about me on other peoples facebook. She is a NASTY piece of WORK and is SICK! I have ignored her and ignored her and still after her community service charge, she still has not learnt her lesson. She has a disease! a very sickening one.
I went to secondary school with her and after 5 years, she still has this problem and continues to invade my privacy and humiliate me because i have ignored her.
You have a problem TANYA, community service did not teach you anything! there should be a much more heavier penalty next time
January 1st, 2008 10:51 PM
Hey!!!! I dont want any more of this bull crap Tania Diltzo. Yeah i know it's you!!! and if you hack into my facebook again and post things about tanya Q that i don't want posted ill make sure your baned from the network!!!! If you want to fight with tanya thats fine but leave me out of it!!!!
January 4th, 2008 11:25 PM
i will be taking legal action against you and your already convicted friend Tanya Quattrocchi.
Enough is enough of this bullying, stalking and hacking.
I had to find out from other people that you have both humiliated me to other internet users.
Im done being the victim and people who have posted on this website would agree with me 110%.
I admire Steves comment (no.7)