- A federal judge has sentenced a from Austin, Texas to 30 months in prison after he pleaded guilty to stalking and sending threatening letters and emails to American singer Taylor Swift’s former record label.
According to records filed in federal court, Eric Swarbrick was given the sentence during a hearing on Wednesday in Nashville.
The terms of the sentence, which also includes three years of supervised release, were agreed on by prosecutors in a plea agreement that Swarbrick entered in 2019.
The complaint said Swarbrick sent over 40 letters and emails to Big Machine Label Group in 2018, asking the CEO to introduce him to Swift. Over time the letters became more violent and threatening. On three occasions Swarbrick drove to Nashville to personally deliver them.
Swarbrick also expressed his desire to rape and kill Swift and said he would kill himself in front of her label’s CEO and staff.
In a 2019 essay for Elle, Swift wrote about her experience of having a stalker. “My fear of violence has continued into my personal life,” she stated. “I carry QuikClot army grade bandage dressing, which is for gunshot or stab wounds.”
She added: “Websites and tabloids have taken it upon themselves to post every home address I’ve ever had online. You get enough stalkers trying to break into your house and you kind of start prepping for bad things.”
Associated Press
