A Florida true crime influencer has been charged in Massachusetts with unlawful wiretapping over an Instagram video that police say contained a secretly recorded phone call involving Christopher Clancy, Lindsay Clancy’s former father-in-law. Shawna Gramkow, 46, of Sanford, Florida, has been summoned to Hingham District Court for arraignment on November 20, 2026, Boston 25 News, CBS Boston and Hearst Connecticut Media reported.
“The charges are false. And easy to prove,” Gramkow posted in a statement online, according to CBS Boston. A criminal complaint is an accusation. She is presumed innocent, and no court has ruled on the charge.
What the police report says
The details below come from a Scituate police report described by the three outlets.
- The call. On August 6, the day he testified at Lindsay Clancy’s murder trial, Christopher Clancy received a call from an unfamiliar number while driving in Scituate and believes he answered it by mistake, leaving the line open, Boston 25 reported. He did not agree to be recorded, Hearst reported.
- The post. A video with audio of his voice was posted August 30 on the public Instagram account “saltylunatics,” according to Boston 25 and CBS Boston. In the video, according to the police report as quoted by Boston 25, the narrator says that “at the trial Kevin Reddington released Patrick’s phone number and one of y’all decided to give him a call,” and that “Patrick’s dad was still on the line.”
- The complaint. Christopher Clancy went to Scituate police on September 4, the same day the judge declared a mistrial in Lindsay Clancy’s trial, CBS Boston reported.
- How police identified her. A search warrant served on Meta Platforms produced records identifying Gramkow as the account holder, and an investigator matched her driver’s license photo to the woman introducing the recording in the video, Boston 25 reported.
- The charge. Scituate police filed the criminal complaint in Hingham District Court on October 20, CBS Boston reported. Court records show one count of unlawful wiretapping, according to Boston 25.
- Who made the call. The police report does not specify who actually made the recording, CBS Boston reported.
Gramkow has about 54,000 Instagram followers, and her feed includes hundreds of videos promoting conspiracy theories about Patrick Clancy, CBS Boston reported. It was not immediately clear whether she has a lawyer, Boston 25 reported. She did not respond to Hearst’s requests for comment.
The law: Massachusetts requires every party’s consent
The Massachusetts wiretap statute is G.L. c. 272, § 99. We read it at malegislature.gov.
- What counts as an interception. Section 99(B)(4) defines interception as “to secretly hear, secretly record, or aid another to secretly hear or secretly record the contents of any wire or oral communication through the use of any intercepting device by any person other than a person given prior authority by all parties to such communication.”
- The felony. Under § 99(C)(1), anyone who “willfully commits an interception, attempts to commit an interception, or procures any other person to commit an interception” faces a fine of up to $10,000, up to five years in state prison, or up to two and a half years in a jail or house of correction.
- Sharing a recording. A separate paragraph, § 99(C)(3), makes it a misdemeanor to willfully disclose or use the contents of a communication “knowing that the information was obtained through interception,” punishable by up to two years in jail or a $5,000 fine.
- Civil damages. Under § 99(Q), a person whose communication was intercepted, disclosed or used can sue for actual damages of at least $100 a day or $1,000, whichever is higher, plus punitive damages and attorney’s fees.
The news reports did not say which paragraph of § 99 the complaint cites. Because the police report does not say who made the recording, which paragraph applies may matter.
The Supreme Judicial Court has read the statute broadly. In Commonwealth v. Hyde, 434 Mass. 594 (2001), it held that the law “strictly prohibits the secret electronic recording by a private individual of any oral communication,” and wrote that “[s]ecret tape recording by private individuals has been unequivocally banned.” We read the decision on CourtListener. “It does not matter what was being said,” WBZ legal analyst Jennifer Roman told CBS Boston. “It’s just the mere act of being recorded without your knowledge or consent.”
The Clancy case
Lindsay Clancy’s trial on charges that she killed her three children in Duxbury in January 2023 ended in a mistrial on September 4 after the jury deadlocked. She did not deny the killings; her defense argued she was suffering from postpartum psychosis. She is due back in Plymouth Superior Court on Monday, November 2, and prosecutors have not announced whether she will be retried, Hearst reported. What is at stake at Monday’s hearing.
Frequently asked questions
Is it illegal to record a phone call in Massachusetts without consent?
Yes. Massachusetts requires the prior authority of all parties. Secretly recording a wire or oral communication without it is a felony under G.L. c. 272, § 99(C)(1).
Who is Shawna Gramkow?
A 46-year-old Florida woman who runs the Instagram account “saltylunatics” and is charged in Hingham District Court with unlawful wiretapping over a recording of Christopher Clancy, according to Boston 25 News and CBS Boston. She says the charges are false.
When is Shawna Gramkow’s arraignment?
November 20, 2026, in Hingham District Court.
Sources: Boston 25 News, CBS Boston (WBZ) and Hearst Connecticut Media, October 30, 2026, reporting on a Scituate police report and court records. G.L. c. 272, § 99 read at malegislature.gov; Commonwealth v. Hyde, 434 Mass. 594 (2001), read on CourtListener. Gramkow is presumed innocent. General information, not legal advice.