A man from Boca Raton who was acquitted last fall of felony stalking charges involving a neighbor is now facing additional stalking charges involving a former business partner.
Ahmad Dastjerdi, 55,was found not guilty of third-degree felony stalking in September after leaving about five dozen profanity-laced voicemail messages on his neighbor’s phone. Although the target of those messages stated they made him fear for his safety and that of his family, jurors ascertained after three days of testimony that it amounted only to misdemeanor harassment. He was given the maximum sentence allowable under state law for that charge – 60 days in jail – but he evaded a possible five-year prison sentence with his acquittal on the more serious felony charge.
Now, Dasterjedi is facing similar charges. He is accused of one count of feony aggravated stalking. He was arrested and jailed, but the judge set his bail at $5,000, provided he remains on house arrest with a GPS ankle monitor while he awaits trial. He’ll be allowed to leave his residence for work. He also is not allowed to have access to any weapons and he can’t have any contact with the alleged victim, his former business partner.
Although a request by the alleged victim for a civil restraining order was denied, the criminal no contact order is in place.
The prosecutor in the second case had asked the judge for $20,000 bail, arguing the safety of the alleged victim is a serious concern. The prosecutor stated there were “credible threats” of violence against the accuser, including an alleged threat to “blow off (accuser’s) house.”
However, defendant’s lawyer says the case is weak. He pointed out the two business partners had a major falling out, and the allegations were made by someone with an agenda against the accused.
The alleged victim called police after receiving a letter in their mailbox that stated, “This is just the beginning.” Following a string of obscenities, the letter encourages the recipient to “go and tell that terrorist sheriff,” but states he is untouchable. The business partner asserts the letter came from Dastjerdi.
Interestingly, the fall out between the pair occurred some 13 years ago. However, the accuser says the harassment began only this past August. In addition to the letter in the mailbox, the alleged victim states defendant sent sexually explicit messages to him on social media and filled his email inbox with threats and made disparaging comments on YouTube videos.
The former business partner and his wife say that while defendant was in jail serving time for his misdemeanor case, the communication stopped. It started up again when he was released.
The pair reportedly emailed defendant’s lawyer shortly before Thanksgiving, asking him to intervene. Soon after, they received the letter in their mailbox.
However, Dasterjedi’s attorney says her client was at work all day at the time the letter was placed in their mailbox.
At the previous trial, attorneys conceded their client was a “jerk,” but denied that any of the statements he made were credible threats.
F.S. 784.048 details state stalking laws and penalties. As a third-degree felony, it’s punishable by up to five years in prison. An experienced criminal defense attorney is a necessity when facing such serious charges.
Call Fort Lauderdale Criminal Defense Attorney Richard Ansara at (954) 761-4011. Serving Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties.
Additional Resources:
Boca man charged in second felony stalking case set to leave jail, Jan. 22, 2016, By Marc Freeman, Sun Sentinel
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