Ohio man sentenced for threatening, stalking actress Eva LaRue

[September 13, 2022]    By Kanishka Singh

(Reuters) - An Ohio man, who was accused of threatening and stalking television actress Eva LaRue and her daughter for 12 years, was sentenced to over three years in federal prison, prosecutors said.

The 12-year campaign of harassment by James David Rogers, 58, of Ohio, via letters and phone calls included threats of torture, rape and death, prosecutors said in a statement. It lasted from March 2007 until the man's arrest in November 2019.

Rogers' "vicious and relentless harassment left emotional scars on Ms. LaRue and her daughter, the latter of whom has endured his abuse for most of her life," the U.S. attorney’s office in Los Angeles said on Monday.

"We hope the victims will achieve some measure of peace and closure now that Rogers is going to prison."

Rogers was sentenced on Thursday by U.S. District Judge John Kronstadt to 40 months in prison. Rogers pleaded guilty in April to two counts of mailing threatening communications, one count of threats by interstate communications, and two counts of stalking.

The matter was investigated by the FBI.

"I sincerely apologize for what I did for the last 12 years, putting you and your family through hellish behavior," Rogers said during the sentencing hearing. He added that he grew up in an abusive home, was bullied in school and was currently receiving mental health treatment.

LaRue is known for her longtime role on "All My Children" and investigative drama series "CSI: Miami."

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; editing by Jonathan Oatis)

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