A Georgia man with a history of mental illness was sentenced to five months’ probation Monday for sending threatening letters to ESPN broadcasters.
Evan Chaggaris (above), 35, of Atlanta, appeared before Chief U.S. District Judge Robert N. Chatigny. He was originally indicted on 13 counts of threatening, but in an agreement with the government, Chaggaris pleaded guilty to one count in October.
Court papers show that Chaggaris believed that the ESPN announcers were spying on him. He was arrested in Atlanta in March 2005 by FBI agents and immediately acknowledged what he had done, prosecutors said. He also wrote a letter of apology at the time of his arrest.
I don’t want to sound cavalier about these serious charges (and I’m not just saying that because my dog has ordered me to stab Barry Melrose), but this strange case brings the following questions to mind :
1) Isn’t Chaggaris entitled to some compensation from ESPN/Disney considering he’s clearly the inspiration for the Bristol parking lot stalker in the most recent series of ESPN Mobile commercials?
2) Stalking ESPN on-air talent through the U.S. mail is considered a felony, but if you do so in the pages of the New York Post, you’re guaranteed a job for life. You don’t even have to shave!