WASHINGTON — A D.C. man convicted of stalking and harassing his ex-girlfriend by posting sexually explicit photos of her in her neighborhood and workplace was sentenced to nine years in prison Wednesday.
The conviction of Lamont Delrico Roberts, 46, was the first under a new law in the District outlawing revenge porn.
The law against “nonconsensual pornography” went into effect in May 2015. The law criminalizes the unlawful disclosure of naked photos without the consent of the person depicted in them even if the photos were taken or given by the victim.
A jury last November found Roberts guilty of five counts of unlawful disclosure, one count of stalking, three counts of making felony threats and one count of simple assault for harassing his ex-girlfriend after she ended the relationship.
“This case is really every woman’s nightmare,” U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Channing Phillips told WTOP.
Prosecutors said Roberts emailed his ex-girlfriend threatening to share graphic images the two had taken during their relationship with her children, mother and others. Authorities said Roberts eventually followed through on the threats, printing out nude images of his girlfriend and posting them and her name on her car, her front door throughout her neighborhood.
Prosecutors said Roberts showed up at her workplace with the images and sometimes even following her around on the street holding them up. Prosecutors also said Roberts called his ex hundreds of times a day and left voicemails threatening to harm her and her family.
The revenge porn law does not require the material to be posted on the internet only disseminated or published where others can see it.
Still, Phillips told WTOP the law helps prosecutors keep pace with technology.
“Hopefully today’s sentence will serve as a deterrent to others who will think twice before engaging in such conduct,” he said.
WTOP’s Neal Augenstein contributed to this report.
