Man Pleads Guilty to Using Net to Solicit Rape

A case involving one of the most harrowing crimes yet committed on the Internet ended abruptly Wednesday as Gary S. Dellapenta pleaded guilty to using the Net to solicit the rape of a woman who had scorned him.

Dellapenta, a former security guard in Encino, pleaded guilty to one count of stalking and three counts of solicitation of sexual assault.

The North Hollywood man, 50, faces up to six years in state prison, the maximum penalty allowed by law, said Scott Gordon, the deputy district attorney who prosecuted the case.

Dellapenta terrorized a 28-year-old North Hollywood woman by posting personal ads in her name on various Internet services in which he made it appear that she had fantasies of being raped. On at least six occasions, men responding to the ad came knocking at her door, often in the middle of the night, saying they were there to rape her.

The woman’s father, who helped catch Dellapenta, watched as the stalker--wearing jail garb and slippers--entered his guilty plea in Los Angeles criminal court.

“We’re pleased,” he said. “It’s the best we can do under this system. As a father, you would like to see more [punishment], of course.”

Publicity surrounding Dellapenta’s arrest in January called national attention to what experts say is the increasingly common use of the Internet in stalking-related crimes.

Threatening e-mail or other electronic communications were a factor in about 20% of the 600 cases reviewed last year by the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Stalking and Threat Assessment Team, officials said.

The state government last year overhauled stalking laws to make a specific reference to so-called Internet “cyberstalking.”

Even amid these trends, authorities said Dellapenta’s scheme was more sophisticated and menacing than any they have seen. Using log-ons such as “kinkygal30,” he placed online ads and sent messages saying such things as “I’m into the rape fantasy and gang-bang fantasy too.” He gave respondents the victim’s address and telephone number.

The victim, who didn’t even have a computer, for months had no clue why or how she was being targeted by would-be rapists. When she learned of the ads, she placed a note on her apartment door saying the ads were fake.

Dellapenta then began sending e-mail to ad respondents saying the note on the door was part of the fantasy, and that the woman wanted to be taken by force. He even offered instructions on how to get past her security lock.

The victim, formerly an employee at an insurance company, had met Dellapenta through a friend, and repeatedly rejected his romantic overtures.

Her father, a postal employee, helped to uncover Dellapenta’s identity by posing as an ad respondent. After an inquiry that involved the FBI, Los Angeles police and sheriff’s deputies, Dellapenta admitted to authorities that he had an “inner rage” against the woman.

Gordon said Dellapenta could be subject to a restraining order barring him from any contact with his victim or her family for years beyond his eventual release. He might also be required to register as a sex offender, and notify police of his presence wherever he resides for the rest of his life.

Judge Pro Tem Michael G. Price scheduled a sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 22.