An Anchorage man was found guilty Wednesday of impersonating a police officer and robbing an escort at gunpoint in 2016.
Christian Andre Young, 29, arranged to meet an escort at a hotel room in June of 2016, according to a statement from the Alaska Department of Law. He tried to get money from the woman by telling her he was a police officer, and then robbed her at gunpoint when she refused, according to the statement. Young took off with the woman’s cash and an iPad.
Two months later, Young asked his girlfriend to contact the woman, prosecutors said. She offered the victim money and said she would return the stolen iPad if the woman agreed to drop the charges against Young, according to the statement.
During the trial, Young said he stole the iPad and money from the woman while she was in the bathroom, according to prosecutors. He denied that he pretended to be a police officer or had a gun. Prosecutors said Young testified that he was unaware it was illegal to bribe victims to refuse to cooperate.
He was on probation for a similar crime when he committed the robbery. In 2012, Young robbed two escorts at gunpoint in their hotel rooms.
The jury deliberated for four hours and found Young guilty of robbery, impersonation of a public servant and interference with official proceedings. He’s scheduled to be sentenced in July, and prosecutors said he faces a presumptive sentence of 17 years behind bars.
A charge of interference with official proceedings was dropped against Young’s girlfriend because she cooperated with law enforcement, the statement said.