Ceres man tried to blackmail women for sex. He’s been convicted of stalking

A Ceres man with a history of stalking pleaded guilty in federal court on Monday to stalking two more women, including an Airbnb guest at his mom’s home.

Kevin James Strutz, 51, was arrested in November 2020 for stalking a traveling healthcare worker who, through Airbnb, was renting a room at his mom’s home on Soda Canyon Drive in Ceres.

Strutz sent the victim multiple vulgar and increasingly aggressive messages on Facebook from February to June 2020, according to a criminal complaint. The last message included a nude photo of the victim that was taken from a hidden camera inside the bathroom she used at the Airbnb.

Strutz allegedly threatened to send the photo to the victim’s family and friends if she did not send him a sexually explicit video.

FBI investigators learned that Strutz previously had sent a series of electronic messages and handwritten letters to a different woman.

From about September through late December 2018, Strutz left 15 handwritten letters that he had placed on the victim’s vehicle, according to court documents. Many of the letters contained threats designed to coerce the victim into engaging in sexual acts with Strutz.

He also sent more than 100 messages to the victim from five Facebook accounts and attempted to contact the victim using phone calls and messages.

Strutz previously was convicted of stalking his ex-girlfriend in violation of a restraining order in 2005. He repeatedly sent letters to the victim or left them on her car and doorstep; left voicemails; and parked at her place of employment, according to court documents.

In federal court in Fresno on Monday, Strutz pleaded guilty to two counts of cyberstalking.

Strutz faces a maximum statutory penalty for each count of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 4.