A former US Embassy staffer was sentenced Monday to four years and nine months in prison after pleading guilty last year to stalking, extortion, and computer fraud.

According to prosecutors, Michael C. Ford primarily conducted his sextortion activities from his desk at the United States Embassy in London despite his heavily monitored, government-owned work computer. Even though Ford ran his scheme for at least two years, the State Department’s own network security protocol apparently failed to flag the man’s behavior.

In a sentencing memorandum filed by prosecutors prior to the Monday hearing, they expressed shock at the scale of Ford's scheme. "The sheer number of phishing e-mails that Ford sent is astounding," the memorandum stated. As an example, prosecutors noted that on one day in April 2015 alone, Ford sent approximately 800 e-mails to potential victims.

"Considering Ford’s daily volume, repeated over the course of several months, the number of Ford’s potential phishing victims is staggering," Jamie Perry, a prosecutor, wrote in the filing.

At the Monday hearing, the government also presented new evidence that Ford "engaged in a related scheme targeting aspiring models beginning in 2009." As a result of his years-long actions, Ford managed to acquired "topless and partially nude photos from hundreds of women, including several minors."

"This case unfortunately shows that cyber-stalkers have the ability to torment victims from any corner of the globe," US Attorney John A. Horn said in a statement. "Hopefully, Ford’s victims can be reassured that he will serve a significant sentence for his conduct. Members of the public must be extremely careful about disclosing their logins and passwords to anyone, even when the person on the other end of an e-mail or instant message appears to be legitimate."