Alex Scott Roberts, a 27-year-old man from the San Fernando Valley, was sentenced to 85 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to two counts of stalking. Evidently, in the summer of 2020, Roberts had stalked two California sisters, using text messages and internet communications to threaten them with rape and murder. He also sent threatening and harassing messages to a teenage girl in Georgia.

Repeat Offender Plea Deals

According to court documents, Roberts had recently been paroled from state prison for sentences related to stalking and extorting young women online before threatening and harassing these victims. The court felt that his messages were intended to cause substantial emotional distress and reasonably placed each of the victims in fear of death and serious bodily injury.

In June 2020, Roberts sent a 15-year-old girl in Georgia a series of threatening and harassing messages, claiming to possess nude images of her and threatening to send them to her parents if she didn't send him more. When the minor responded with “selfies,” he continued to harass her.

Then, in July and August of 2020, he contacted another victim and her sister in California. When the victim told him she did not want to speak to him again, he created a Craigslist ad for a room for rent in the victim's home that invited people to stop by anytime to see it. In addition to sending the victim's friends messages, demanding her phone number, and threatening to publish nude photographs of her, he also threatened to rape her and her sister and kill their family. 

Hiring a Skilled Criminal Attorney

Repeat offenders, like Roberts, can sometimes have a harder time at trial than first-time offenders. Though the rules of evidence usually preclude prior criminal history from establishing bad character or a propensity to commit a crime, the evidence is sometimes allowed to prove things like motive, opportunity, and intent. Thus, plea deals may be the best way to guarantee a fair trial.

Attorney Vitaly Sigal of Sigal Law Group is a highly skilled criminal attorney who can advise you on how to proceed. Call 818-325-0579 today for a free consultation.