Police say a Florida university professor allegedly stalked a female student at his school in ever more aggressive fashion in recent months — messaging her hundreds of times and following her to the gym — before his arrest on campus last week, according to multiple news outlets.
Ali Borji, a 39-year-old assistant professor of computer science at the University of Central Florida, was taken into custody at his office on June 28,theOrlando Sentinelreports.
Borji is charged with two counts of stalking, a misdemeanor, in connection with what investigators described as ubiquitous and unwanted attempts to contact a doctoral student at his university.
As the student later told investigators, she and Borji met last summer and he offered, via Facebook, to help her with her degree, according to theSentinel.
They eventually dated a few times but the student said she wanted to keep their relationship professional, WKMG reports.
That’s when the stalking allegedly began.
Orange County Jail
Despite repeatedly telling Borji to stop contacting her and leave her alone, he allegedly emailed her and sent other messages begging for another chance.
“Please listen to me!” he allegedly wrote in October, after the student said she would report him to the police if he didn’t leave her alone, WKMG reports.
“We are just one step away from eternal happiness!” he wrote. “[Let’s] just try one more time please.”
In addition to allegedly reaching out to her via email, text and on social media, Borji also contacted her family to profess his love, police said, according to theSentinel.
The woman said Borji allegedly sent her more than 800 messages a day — some that were “extremely disturbing,” according to WKMG. He also allegedly watched her through a window while she was working out the gym and waited for her outside in the parking lot, authorities said.
Borji said he could create an artificial-intelligence copy of her to “do anything he wanted,” police alleged in his arrest report, according to theSentinel.
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The student said she became too afraid to be out alone and left the university last fall, moving out of state to get away from Borji, after which his contact with her ceased.
When she returned in the spring, however, he allegedly obtained her new phone number and began messaging her again, as well as approaching her at the gym, according to WKMG. Two days before his arrest last week, the student said she saw Borji allegedly follow her in his vehicle after she left the gym.
Once taken into custody, Borji allegedly didn’t deny sending the emails and told police that, given the chance, he would apologize to the victim, according to theSentinel.
It is unclear whether he has entered a plea in his stalking case or if he has retained an attorney who could comment on his behalf.
Borji reportedly tendered his resignation from UCF effective the Sunday before he was arrested. He had worked there since January 2016.
A school spokesperson said he has been barred from campus, theSentinelreports.
source: people.com
