Man convicted in Calif. also linked to Ga. case

Seven-year sentence levied for stalking, harassing females.

California man who was found guilty of stalking two sisters in his state and harass- ing an underage girl in Geor- gia has been sentenced to more than seven years in prison, federal officials said.

Alex Scott Roberts, 27, of Chatsworth, a suburb of Los Angeles, received his sen- tence in a hearing Friday after pleading guilty to two counts of stalking in August, the U.s. attorney’s Office for the Central District of Cali- fornia said.

One stalking count was based on a series of threats and harassment Roberts targeted toward awoman who tried to cut off communication with him, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. The second count involved Roberts threatening-a-15-year-old girl in Georgia and demand ing she send him nude photos.

The case in Georgia began in June 2020 when Roberts told the victim he had nude photos of her and threatened to share them with her parents if she did not send more, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. The teenager shared additional photos, and Roberts continued to send her threatening and harassing messages.

The girl was identified only as “Minor 1” in court documents, and federal officials did not share any information about her whereabouts or how she came in contact with Roberts.

The second case in California took place in July and August 2020, after another victim told Roberts not to communicate with her anymore, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. In response, Roberts sent threatening mes- sagestothe woman, her sister and one of the woman’s friends. He threatened to distribute nude photos of the woman; he also threatened to send someone to rape her and even kill her and her family.

Roberts also created a Craigslist ad offering a room for rent at the woman’s home that told potential renters to “stop by anytime,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. The texts and other online messages Roberts sent led prosecutors to accuse him of causing “substantial emotional distress” for the woman and putting his victims in “reasonable fear of death and serious bodily injury.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Roberts was harassing and threatening these victims just months after being paroled from a California prison, where he was serving a sentence related to “stalking and extorting young women online.”

Roberts has been in federal custody since December 2020 and now will spend an additional seven years in federal prison after his sentencing, officialssaid. There is no parole in the federal prison system.