As stalker gets 5 years, female victim says: 'There was not a day that I didn't feel scared'

Heriberto Latigo, former energy trader gets five years in prison for federal stalking charges. Heriberto Latigo, former energy trader gets five years in prison for federal stalking charges. Photo: handout Photo: handout Image 1 of / 24 Caption Close As stalker gets 5 years, female victim says: 'There was not a day that I didn't feel scared' 1 / 24 Back to Gallery

A former Richmond man was ordered to serve five years in prison for stalking a woman he was romantically involved with by sending her disturbing images and threatening email messages, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas announced Monday.

Former energy trader Heriberto Latigo, 45, appeared in court Monday, serving as his own lawyer. As Latigo thumbed through folders while shackled and cuffed, the judge imposed the sentence.

In 2013, Heriberto Latigo began the romantic relationship with his victim, whose name is being withheld. Court records show that as time progressed, the relationship spiraled.

During and after their relationship, Latigo forced the woman to send him nude images of herself, harassed her online and also attempted to blackmail her.

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The relationship eventually devolved into physical altercations that included an alleged rape, according to federal prosecutors.

The woman released a statement stating that no matter how hard she has tried, she has not been able to overcome what he did to her.

"There was not a day that I didn't feel scared," she said

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In 2014, she said, discovered she was pregnant.

She testified that Latigo was so controlling and crazy during this time that she decided to end the pregnancy. Latigo found out and created a Facebook page purporting to represent the aborted fetus.

He sent her a link that said, "Your abortion video will now be posted you whore," according to the court. The link upset her so much that she tried to kill herself by overdosing on tranquilizers.

From 2014 to 2015, Latigo continued to threaten and blackmail his ex-girlfriend to do things against her will, including sexual favors. If she refused, he would post the images online until she acquiesced.

Latigo's actions caused the woman to change jobs, close her Facebook account and completely go offline. But he found her again. He went to her new job and continued to harass her.

The jury ultimately did not believe Latigo's claims and found that he intentionally harassed the victim, causing emotional distress. He was convicted as charged.

The jury returned its verdict Oct. 27, 2017, against Latigo following five days of trial and less than two hours of deliberations.

In addition to the five years, Latigo was ordered to serve three years on supervised release following his prison term, during which time the court ordered him to get mental health treatment.

In the last 10 years, less than 100 defendants have been convicted using this federal stalking statute.

Latigo's case is the first case tried in the Southern District of Texas in which a defendant used the Internet to cause substantial emotional distress.

According to the district, he will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future. The FBI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sherri Zack and Steve Schammel are prosecuting the case.

Federal courts reporter Gabrielle Banks contributed to this report.

john.harden@chron.com

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