LOS ANGELES – A chilling case of decades-long obsession has culminated in federal charges against Serge Agopian, 49, of Port Hueneme. Agopian stands accused of threatening to rape and kill the daughter of a woman he allegedly began stalking and harassing in 1991, a campaign of terror that has spanned three decades.
A federal grand jury indictment unsealed today details three counts against Agopian: one count of threats by interstate communications and two counts of mailing threatening communications. Each charge carries a statutory maximum penalty of five years in federal prison. The charges stem from three identical threatening communications allegedly sent anonymously to the victim in April, escalating a pattern of behavior that began when her mother was a student at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
The FBI investigation revealed a disturbing history. According to an affidavit supporting the criminal complaint, Agopian fixated on the victim’s mother after spotting her at a party in 1991. He initiated unwanted contact, bombarding her with “unsolicited roses, cassette tapes with recorded love songs, poetry, letters, and condoms” sent to her residence. Despite repeated requests to cease communication, the harassment continued, allegedly escalating to anonymous packages containing dog feces and a device resembling a bomb. The victim’s mother obtained restraining orders that remained in effect for nearly ten years, but Agopian’s obsession didn’t wane.
The harassment wasn’t limited to letters and packages. The affidavit details a physical confrontation in the UCSB bookstore in the fall of 1991, where Agopian allegedly pushed the victim’s mother into a bookshelf, leading to his arrest. He later filed a defamation lawsuit against her, and even after the case was resolved, “very vulgar, lewd, and obscene letters” continued to arrive, allegedly from Agopian. The cycle of torment had seemingly continued, now targeting the victim’s daughter.
A crucial piece of evidence linked Agopian to the recent threats: a fingerprint found on one of the letters sent to the victim in April matched prints obtained during the earlier restraining order proceedings. Agopian was initially arrested on August 5, based on a criminal complaint alleging one count of making threats by interstate communication. He is scheduled to be arraigned on the indictment on September 15.
The case is being jointly investigated by the FBI and the Los Angeles Police Department, with Assistant United States Attorney Damaris Diaz of the Violent and Organized Crime Section leading the prosecution. It serves as a stark reminder that obsessive behavior can escalate into serious criminal offenses, and that even decades-old grievances can fuel present-day violence. As with all criminal proceedings, Agopian is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
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Key Facts
- State: California
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Violent Crime|Sex Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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