Las Vegas Man Sentenced In Stalking, Intimidation, ID Deception
May 31, 2019 at 12:34 a.m.
By Amanda Bridgman-
Michael Messina, 24, appeared in Kosciusko County Superior Court I Thursday, where Judge David Cates called him a coward for his crimes.
Messina was sentenced to 2-1/2 years, with one year suspended, on Count 1 of stalking, a level 5 felony; one year, suspended, on Count 2 of intimidation, a level 6 felony; one year, suspended, on Count 3 of intimidation, a level 6 felony; one year, suspended, on Count 4 of intimidation, a level 6 felony; and one year, suspended, on Count 6 of identity deception, a level 6 felony.
Messina was extradited from Nevada and has been incarcerated in the Kosciusko County Jail since Jan. 11. He will get credit for 140 days of time served.
Court documents filed Dec. 12 state that on May 30, Warsaw Police Det. Ryan Coble spoke with the victim who said he has a weightlifting account on Instagram. The victim said that in March or April, he was contacted by Messina who offered to send free shirts from the weightlifting site for his advertisement. The victim provided Messina his address for the shirts to be mailed to. Shortly after, he began receiving messages from Messina.
On May 7, 8, 25 and July 12, Messina contacted Child Protective Services and said he had received information that the victim was asking for nude photographs and talking sexually to juvenile girls. Messina said the victim was having unprotected sex with underage girls and touching girls inappropriately. In one of the calls, Messina said he was misinformed and did not want to ruin the victim’s reputation.
The victim told Coble that since then, he has received constant harassment and threats against his friends if he did not do as requested. When he did not answer Messina, Messina would threaten the victim’s friends or send false, derogatory information about the victim to them. The victim said Messina threatened his friends and a juvenile friend.
Messina also threatened to have the victim thrown in jail, calling him a pedophile, and that he was going to expose him if he did not stay in contact with him, according to court documents.
Coble spoke with one of the victim’s friends who verified Messina had made threats to him because he was friends with the victim. The friend said that on June 5, he received threatening messages from Messina about his sister and that Messina was going to beat him up. Messina then told the friend that the victim was going into bodybuilding gay porn and was having sex with minors.
Coble obtained threatening messages dated Sept. 18 from Messina to a person the victim knows. Messina said the person was going to get jumped and that Messina knows where he sleeps and lives.
On Oct. 23, the victim received a package at his father’s residence. His father, a law enforcement officer, recognized the package as coming from Messina and immediately took that package to Coble. Inside the package was a cellphone.
The father advised that when the package arrived, he immediately received messages from Messina, stating he was going to report the phone as stolen and have him charged with crimes and that the father was going to have legal problems. Messina also advised he had contacted the father’s employer.
The mother of the victim appeared at Thursday's sentencing.
"We were just names and profiles in a computer screen," the mother told Messina. "But we are people. This is Warsaw, Indiana, not Las Vegas. We run into each other at the grocery store.”
She told Messina that he bit off more than he could chew by jumping into this community, and that she believes Messina is a bright and innovative individual, but one who needs help.
"Social media is the toilet of the internet, and you used it to its full potential," she told him.
"You need serious mental help to discern between fantasy and reality," she said.
She also told the court she believes sentencing to him to the Indiana Department of Corrections would "push him beyond repair."
"But trust I will do and use any and all resources I have at my disposal if you do not do what the court imposes," she told him.
Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Brad Voelz said he thinks Messina has a screw loose.
"When I first read this case, I was frightened – about the things Michael Messina said and threatened to do, and because he did it on the internet, it's potentially broadcast to the world," Voelz said. "It's the anonymity of it that gave him the cowardly courage to make these comments. And then he was extradited, and then I saw him, and I wasn't frightened. Still angry, but not frightened. Voelz said the evidence in the case was "creepy."
Voelz recommended the court require Messina go under a psychiatric evaluation as terms of his sentence. "I don't think he is all there,” he said.
Messina's public defender, John Barrett, then agreed with the statements made by the victim and deputy prosecutor, acknowledging, "a psychological evaluation is not a bad idea," and that Messina would be considered a "high risk" inmate in the DOC. Barrett told Cates that Messina has been incarcerated for 140 days, has no prior criminal history, clearly needs mental help, therefore, "is 140 days enough of a 'time out' for Michael to understand he can't do this?" Barrett asked. "If not, then what amount of time is?"
Messina told the court he is sorry for his actions.
"It was a mistake. I was nervous. I had a nervous breakdown in jail, being in here," Messina said. "It won't happen again."
Then Cates addressed Messina.
"This was not cowardly courage. There is no courage involved in any of this," he told him. "It wasn't a mistake, it was a choice you made."
Messina’s sentence includes special terms. Messina will not access any social media unless approved by Kosciusko County Probation, and the probation department will have any usernames and all passwords. Messina can not contact the victims of the case.
"No contact means no contact," Cates told Messina. Cates also said it will be up to the probation department to decide if they want to transfer his probation to Nevada.
"Get the help," Cates told him. "I'm giving you the opportunity for that."
After the sentencing, the victims told the Times-Union they feel the sentence was fair, and they're happy that it's finally over.
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Michael Messina, 24, appeared in Kosciusko County Superior Court I Thursday, where Judge David Cates called him a coward for his crimes.
Messina was sentenced to 2-1/2 years, with one year suspended, on Count 1 of stalking, a level 5 felony; one year, suspended, on Count 2 of intimidation, a level 6 felony; one year, suspended, on Count 3 of intimidation, a level 6 felony; one year, suspended, on Count 4 of intimidation, a level 6 felony; and one year, suspended, on Count 6 of identity deception, a level 6 felony.
Messina was extradited from Nevada and has been incarcerated in the Kosciusko County Jail since Jan. 11. He will get credit for 140 days of time served.
Court documents filed Dec. 12 state that on May 30, Warsaw Police Det. Ryan Coble spoke with the victim who said he has a weightlifting account on Instagram. The victim said that in March or April, he was contacted by Messina who offered to send free shirts from the weightlifting site for his advertisement. The victim provided Messina his address for the shirts to be mailed to. Shortly after, he began receiving messages from Messina.
On May 7, 8, 25 and July 12, Messina contacted Child Protective Services and said he had received information that the victim was asking for nude photographs and talking sexually to juvenile girls. Messina said the victim was having unprotected sex with underage girls and touching girls inappropriately. In one of the calls, Messina said he was misinformed and did not want to ruin the victim’s reputation.
The victim told Coble that since then, he has received constant harassment and threats against his friends if he did not do as requested. When he did not answer Messina, Messina would threaten the victim’s friends or send false, derogatory information about the victim to them. The victim said Messina threatened his friends and a juvenile friend.
Messina also threatened to have the victim thrown in jail, calling him a pedophile, and that he was going to expose him if he did not stay in contact with him, according to court documents.
Coble spoke with one of the victim’s friends who verified Messina had made threats to him because he was friends with the victim. The friend said that on June 5, he received threatening messages from Messina about his sister and that Messina was going to beat him up. Messina then told the friend that the victim was going into bodybuilding gay porn and was having sex with minors.
Coble obtained threatening messages dated Sept. 18 from Messina to a person the victim knows. Messina said the person was going to get jumped and that Messina knows where he sleeps and lives.
On Oct. 23, the victim received a package at his father’s residence. His father, a law enforcement officer, recognized the package as coming from Messina and immediately took that package to Coble. Inside the package was a cellphone.
The father advised that when the package arrived, he immediately received messages from Messina, stating he was going to report the phone as stolen and have him charged with crimes and that the father was going to have legal problems. Messina also advised he had contacted the father’s employer.
The mother of the victim appeared at Thursday's sentencing.
"We were just names and profiles in a computer screen," the mother told Messina. "But we are people. This is Warsaw, Indiana, not Las Vegas. We run into each other at the grocery store.”
She told Messina that he bit off more than he could chew by jumping into this community, and that she believes Messina is a bright and innovative individual, but one who needs help.
"Social media is the toilet of the internet, and you used it to its full potential," she told him.
"You need serious mental help to discern between fantasy and reality," she said.
She also told the court she believes sentencing to him to the Indiana Department of Corrections would "push him beyond repair."
"But trust I will do and use any and all resources I have at my disposal if you do not do what the court imposes," she told him.
Chief Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Brad Voelz said he thinks Messina has a screw loose.
"When I first read this case, I was frightened – about the things Michael Messina said and threatened to do, and because he did it on the internet, it's potentially broadcast to the world," Voelz said. "It's the anonymity of it that gave him the cowardly courage to make these comments. And then he was extradited, and then I saw him, and I wasn't frightened. Still angry, but not frightened. Voelz said the evidence in the case was "creepy."
Voelz recommended the court require Messina go under a psychiatric evaluation as terms of his sentence. "I don't think he is all there,” he said.
Messina's public defender, John Barrett, then agreed with the statements made by the victim and deputy prosecutor, acknowledging, "a psychological evaluation is not a bad idea," and that Messina would be considered a "high risk" inmate in the DOC. Barrett told Cates that Messina has been incarcerated for 140 days, has no prior criminal history, clearly needs mental help, therefore, "is 140 days enough of a 'time out' for Michael to understand he can't do this?" Barrett asked. "If not, then what amount of time is?"
Messina told the court he is sorry for his actions.
"It was a mistake. I was nervous. I had a nervous breakdown in jail, being in here," Messina said. "It won't happen again."
Then Cates addressed Messina.
"This was not cowardly courage. There is no courage involved in any of this," he told him. "It wasn't a mistake, it was a choice you made."
Messina’s sentence includes special terms. Messina will not access any social media unless approved by Kosciusko County Probation, and the probation department will have any usernames and all passwords. Messina can not contact the victims of the case.
"No contact means no contact," Cates told Messina. Cates also said it will be up to the probation department to decide if they want to transfer his probation to Nevada.
"Get the help," Cates told him. "I'm giving you the opportunity for that."
After the sentencing, the victims told the Times-Union they feel the sentence was fair, and they're happy that it's finally over.
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