A Chatsworth Man Sentenced to More Than 7 Years in Prison

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LOS ANGELES –On February 24, 2023, Alex Scott Roberts, 27, of Chatsworth was sentenced to 85 months in federal prison for stalking two sisters in California by sending them text messages that threatened to rape both girls and murder them, and for harassing and threatening a teenage girl in the state of Georgia.

Roberts was sentenced by United States District Judge André Birotte Jr., who called Roberts’ conduct “egregious.” during the court hearing.

In August 2022, Roberts pleaded guilty to two counts of stalking. He was taken into custody in December 2020 and has since been in federal prison.

In the California case, in July and August 2020, the defendant used text messages and internet communications to place the two victims “in reasonable fear of death and serious bodily injury,” and he intended to cause “substantial emotional distress,” according to the statement in court documents.

After being informed by a person identified in court papers as “Victim 1” information stated that  her family stated that the female did not want to communicate with Roberts, he created a listing on Craigslist that offered a room for rent at Victim 1’s residence and invited prospective renters to “Stop by anytime,” the court papers say.

Roberts then sent anonymous text messages to a friend of Victim 1 that ordered Victim 1’s phone number, threatened to publish nude photographs of Victim 1, and threatened to send someone to rape Victim 1.

He also sent multiple anonymous messages to Victim 1, Victim 1’s sister, and at least one friend of Victim 1, demanding Victim 1’s telephone number, threatening to send nude pictures of Victim 1, threatening to send someone to rape Victim 1, and her sister, and threatening to kill Victim 1 and her family.

In the Georgia case, in June 2020, the defendant sent a series of threatening and harassing messages to a 15-year-old girl, identified in court papers as “Minor 1.”

The defendant claimed to have nude pictures of Minor 1 and threatened to send the photos to her parents as “payback” if she did not send Roberts more nude photographs. He then sent harassing and threatening messages to Minor 1 through both text messages and Instagram.

In response to the defendant's threats to send naked images of Minor 1 to her family, Minor 1 sent Roberts “selfie” photographs of herself. Roberts responded by continuing to send Minor 1 harassing messages, including several messages containing edited versions of the “selfie” photographs Minor 1 had sent to Roberts in response to his threats.

“Only a few months after being paroled on state prison sentences related to stalking and extorting young women online…Roberts…began tormenting new victims,” prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memorandum. “His messages traumatized the victims, putting them in fear for their lives and the lives of their family.”

The FBI investigated this case.

Assistant United States Attorney Lauren Restrepo of the Cyber and Intellectual Property Crimes Section prosecuted this matter.

 By Anita johnson-Brown

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