Woman Faces Jail for Tagging Sister-In-Law on Facebook

New York, Jan 16 (IANS) A woman in the US was awarded a year in jail for violating a restraining order after she tagged her victim -- her sister-in-law -- on a Facebook post that called her "stupid", a media report said.

Maria Gonzalez, who was not allowed to contact Maribel Calderon, was charged with second-degree criminal contempt, after Acting Westchester County Supreme Court Justice Susan Capeci ruled the Facebook post Gonzalez tagged Caldron in can be considered as an electronic communication, cnet.com reported on Friday.

Gonzalez's attorney argued that the protection order did not specifically exclude communication via Facebook. However, Judge Capeci disagreed, saying the phrase in the protection order that read "by electronic or any other means" was sufficient to cover any Facebook communication.

The ruling may lead Gonzalez to a year in jail.

Gonzalez's court-appointed attorney Kim Frohlinger told the New York Post that she would not appeal the ruling.

"You and your family are sad...You guys have to come stronger than that!! I'm way over you guys but I guess not in ya agenda," Gonzalez reportedly wrote in her Facebook post.