by Charles Gladden

BELMOPAN, Tues. Jun. 3, 2025

Well-known social media journalist, Joseph Budna of Trial Farm Village, Orange Walk District, found himself in trouble, and is now behind bars for allegedly cyberbullying a woman.

The 45-year-old “humble servant” was sent on remand to the Belize Central Prison after being arraigned at the Orange Walk Magistrate Court on Monday, June 2, where he was charged with two counts of using a computer system to publish computer data to cause a person substantial emotional distress, and one count of using a computer system to disseminate a false statement with the intent to cause another person to be the subject of public ridicule.

The charges result from an incident that occurred last week. Budna reportedly made unsavory allegations on social media regarding a 36-year-old businesswoman from San Lazaro Village, Orange Walk District, and accused her of having an affair with a prominent politician from the north.

The victim filed a complaint with authorities, and when officers visited Budna’s residence on Thursday, May 29, he attempted to flee, but was unsuccessful. He was charged over the weekend.

Budna appeared in court, pleaded not guilty, but was denied bail. He will reappear in court on June 10.

This isn’t Budna’s first rodeo with the law. Notably, he was charged with abetment to murder in connection with the death of a Belmopan man in 2021, but was released on bail from that charge. The year before that, he was allegedly involved and witnessed the senseless murder of a male minor who reportedly ran away from home and went to his residence, and was subsequently shot to death.

In mid-2019, Budna was convicted in Guatemala and sentenced to 30 years for kidnapping and other crimes, but managed to escape from a hospital in San Benito, Guatemala. Also, in 2006, while serving a 10-year prison sentence, Budna climbed a tower at the Kolbe Foundation and allegedly attempted to kill himself by jumping off it.