Editor’s Note: This story includes mention of sexual harassment and violence. Resources are available here.
Indiana baseball pitcher Jacob Gomberg has been charged with stalking: sexual cyberharassment of another person in Alachua County, Florida.
Gomberg, a native of Coral Springs, Florida, allegedly shared nonconsensual videos of then-19-year-old University of Florida sophomore Maddie Kowalski being “sexually violated while incapacitated," according to a separate civil complaint Kowalski filed Aug. 26 against him in federal court. Gomberg’s alleged involvement was first reported by WIRED.
The charge in Florida is a first-degree misdemeanor which carries a maximum sentence of up to one year in jail and/or fines up to $1,000. Through an attorney, Gomberg declined to comment to WIRED.
"Yesterday we were made aware of charges filed against Jacob Gomberg in Alachua County, Florida," an Indiana Athletics spokesperson said. "We take these allegations very seriously and promptly turned the matter over to the University’s Office of Civil Rights Compliance who will continue to gather information, assess the matter, and determine any next steps."
Gomberg transferred to Indiana from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas over the summer ahead of his senior season but spent his first two years at Florida. The civil complaint alleges Gomberg "intentionally" published "one or more” of the recordings through "one or more pseudonymous 'burner' accounts."
"Burner" accounts are anonymous X accounts that form a loose network known as the "burnerverse." These online communities are primarily formed by accounts associating themselves with colleges and universities, predominantly focusing on collegiate athletics.
The complaint alleges the X burner account "MadDogTime" posted a screenshot of a nonconsensual sexually explicit video of Kowalski on Nov. 3, 2025. The post included “personal identifying information,” including Kowalski’s name. It garnered thousands of views in minutes.
“Following the initial dissemination, additional sexually explicit images and videos of the victim, recorded at various times and locations, were repeatedly distributed online by multiple individuals to include the defendant,” the sworn complaint affidavit states.
According to WIRED, videos of Kowalski were viewed more than 8.5 million times in the initial hours.
Per court documents, investigators served legal processes to X, which then provided the email address linked to "MadDogTime." Legal processes are official court actions such as a subpoena or a summons. Subsequently, legal processes compelled Google to provide the name, phone number and date of birth linked to the email address. The University of Florida Police Department then confirmed the phone number and date of birth are associated with Gomberg.
Kowalski has faced harassment in person and online in the ensuing months and has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. In civil lawsuits against Gomberg and two other men identified as sharing the content, Kowalski is seeking monetary damages, punitive damages and injunctive relief requiring all copies of the videos be destroyed.
A list of resources is available here if you or someone you know has experienced sexual harassment or abuse.
UPDATED: This story was updated to included a revised statement from an Indiana Athletics spokesperson.
