FRESNO, Calif. —Earl John Velasquez, 23, of Bakersfield,
pleaded guilty today to stalking, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.
According to the plea agreement, between January and June
2018, Velasquez used various cellphones and social media applications to post
threatening statements to a woman living in Florida. In addition to his own
accounts, Velasquez created a social media account using a fictitious name and
also used a relative’s account to send the threatening messages. Among other
threats, Velasquez claimed he was planning on shooting up a tattoo parlor in
Florida. On April 30, he commented on an Instagram post in which the victim was
tagged and said, “I’m going to kill that girl one day.” This conduct caused
substantial emotional distress to the victim.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal
Bureau of Investigation and the Kern County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant
U.S. Attorney Melanie L. Alsworth is prosecuting the case.
Velasquez is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District
Judge Lawrence J. O’Neill on May 6, 2019. Velasquez faces a maximum statutory
penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence,
however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration
of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines,
which take into account a number of variables.
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