FRESNO - William Lee Robinson, 43, of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, pleaded guilty today to five counts of sending threatening interstate communications and three counts of cyberstalking, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, Robinson worked at a business in Fresno from June to November 2017. After the business fired him, Robinson began sending threatening messages to his former supervisor and other co-workers in an attempt to extort them for money.

These threats included graphic statements threatening to harm co-workers and a former supervisor’s daughter physically. Robinson threatened because he wanted the company to pay him between $10,000 and $20,000 to cover the cost of relocating to a different city.

U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston is scheduled to sentence Robinson on Feb. 12, 2024. He faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each of the five counts of sending threatening communications.  He faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each cyberstalking count. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after considering any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which consider several variables.