King City Man Sentenced for Attempted Extortion

Salinas, California- Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine M. Pacioni announced on Wednesday, February 5 that on February 4, 2020, Judge Carrie Panetta sentenced 30-year-old Jesus Lopez, Jr. of King City, to 2 years and 8 months in prison after entering a plea of no contest to felony attempted extortion. The defendant’s sentence was doubled as a result of a prior strike conviction under California’s Three Strikes Law.
This case arose in the context of domestic violence cyberbullying. In May of 2019, the victim broke up with Lopez due to his use of methamphetamine. She told him she did not want any contact with him, but he continued to call her repeatedly. She blocked his number, but his harassment did not stop. He first tried to get her fired by calling her boss and accusing her of theft and drug use. When that was not successful, he began harassing and cyberbullying her. On May 4, 2019, he called her 17 times and texted her 21 times. She did not respond. On May 5, 2019, he called her 96 times and texted her 35 times. Again, she did not respond. When she checked her Facebook account, he had sent her numerous threatening messages. Notably, he sent her an intimate video of her and threatened to post it unless she paid him $100.
Jane Doe also disclosed to District Attorney Investigator Jennifer Mendoza that throughout their relationship, Lopez had committed multiple prior incidents of domestic violence, including kidnapping her at gunpoint, threatening her with a knife, vandalizing her vehicle by slashing her tires, spraying her bedroom with pepper spray, and physically assaulting her. Most of these crimes were committed outside of the statute of limitations and the People were barred by law from filing additional charges.
This is Lopez’s fifth felony conviction and third prison sentence. He was previously convicted of an assault with a firearm, a strike offense that caused his sentence in this case to be doubled.
This case was investigated by Greenfield Police Officer Jacob Lemons and District Attorney Investigator Jennifer Mendoza.
There is no excuse for domestic violence. If you or a loved one are experiencing domestic violence and need assistance, call the YWCA at 831-372-6300 or the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233).