Man Who Stalked Olympic Skater Convicted : Verdict: Harry Veltman III, who represented himself, was found guilty of sending Katarina Witt obscene and threatening mail.

A Westminster man who stalked former Olympic ice-skating champion Katarina Witt across two continents in a misguided attempt to win her affection was convicted Thursday by a federal jury of sending her obscene and threatening mail.

Harry Veltman III, who represented himself during the two-day trial that heard testimony from the world-famous skater, stared down at the counsel table as guilty verdicts on six of the seven criminal counts were read.

“It’s a sad ending to a sad story,” said federal public defender H. Dean Steward, who was appointed to advise Veltman, though the defendant proved a reluctant student. “Obviously, Harry Veltman really loved this woman, and his love, I think, turned into an obsession. Now he’s paying the price for it.”

Although Veltman, 47, faces a maximum of 30 years in prison, a 24- to 36-month term is the specified punishment under federal sentencing guidelines. He is to be sentenced June 1.

Witt, 26, who won gold medals at the 1984 and 1988 Winter Olympics, was not in court Thursday. However, she said through her publicist: “I am very relieved and appreciative of the jury’s verdict. Hopefully, this can make it possible for other people in the entertainment world to feel that something can be done. Now I would like to put this episode behind me and get on with my life.”

Outside the courthouse, Veltman’s mother, Betty J. Hall, spoke to reporters and publicly apologized for her son’s behavior.

“I feel very sorry for Katarina to have to go through this,” said Hall, as she fought back tears. “I know Harry never would have hurt her.”

Hall said she hopes that her son, who has been diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic, will receive psychological treatment while incarcerated.

Jurors, who deliberated less than four hours, also felt that Veltman was mentally ill, according to juror Larry Sitterding. “He needs help,” Sitterding said. “He shouldn’t have been his own attorney.”

During the trial, Assistant U.S. Atty. Wayne Gross depicted Veltman as an obsessed fan who pursued and harassed Witt at her home in Germany and at skating events in the United States. Veltman repeatedly tried to get her attention despite Witt’s telling him to leave her alone, Gross said.

When Witt took the witness stand Wednesday, she testified that Veltman made her fear for her life. “I believed he was going to kill me,” Witt told the jury.

She also said Veltman went to her home in Germany and “would knock on my door at 3 in the morning, screaming that he loved me.”

The most anticipated moment of the trial came Wednesday with Witt’s testimony and the cross-examination by Veltman. A thin, balding man, Veltman often appeared befuddled by the court process. His questioning of Witt was rambling, and after that, he declined to present a defense.

Gross’ case centered on allegedly obscene and threatening material that Veltman sent to the ice skater, who now performs professionally. Included with more than 50 pages of letters were nude photographs of Veltman and sex brochures.

Some of the letters detailed a fantasy sexual life between Veltman and Witt. In others, Veltman wrote that he considered Witt his wife, telling her to remain “chaste” for him and warning her that he would kill an unfaithful spouse.

On one occasion, he threatened to pull Witt out of her body so that she would “know that there is life beyond the flesh.”

During the trial, Veltman said he did not mean to harm Witt and intended his correspondences to be “erotic love letters attempting to cause her to lust for me . . . then marry me and stand with me as a prophet of God.”

Juror Sitterding said he was “shocked” by the contents of the letters, and he called the photographs “gross.”

Veltman was charged with five counts of mailing obscene material and two counts of sending threatening mail.

Jurors were unable to reach a decision on one obscenity count after discovering that the letter in question had a Mexican postmark and did not appear to be mailed from the United States, as the law requires for a guilty verdict.

“I think the prosecution kind of slipped up,” said Sitterding about the letter with the out-of-country postmark.

Steward said Veltman did surprisingly well for someone without legal training. He noted that the jury deadlocked on one of the obscenity charges.

U.S. District Judge Gary L. Taylor dismissed that charge against Veltman after receiving the other guilty verdicts.

At the conclusion of the trial, Veltman asked that Steward represent him during the sentencing hearing and appeals process, should he decide to challenge the jury’s ruling.

Veltman has been in custody since being arrested by FBI agents last Dec. 26, a day before Witt was to skate at the Forum in Inglewood. While in custody, Veltman made numerous outlandish claims in letters and while in court. He claimed to have found Noah’s ark and discovered a cure for AIDS. Nonetheless, he was found competent to stand trial because he understood the charges against him.