A federal grand jury indicted Nikolay Sapov on two charges: stalking through interstate travel and stalking through electronic communications. U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Ryan Raybould announced the indictment Wednesday. Border officers arrested Sapov on August 22 on a Texas stalking warrant. He is presumed innocent, and prosecutors must prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
According to an affidavit by FBI Special Agent Danielle M. Manning, Sapov and the woman met in 2021 while working at the Miami Open tennis tournament. The affidavit alleges that he later contacted her repeatedly, located family social media profiles and sent unwanted gifts. Police issued Sapov a trespass warning in June 2026 after an encounter near her apartment complex. A neighbor's doorbell camera recorded a masked person at her door the next day. The affidavit says the person matched Sapov's build and footwear. The couple spent 14 days in hotels and bought a firearm for protection, and relocation and security cost about $4,000, Manning wrote.
Sapov told investigators he sought the woman because he believed she owed him business-related money, and he acknowledged wearing a mask, according to the affidavit. Raybould said in a release that no one has the right to terrorize another person or undermine their sense of safety at home. If convicted, Sapov faces up to five years in federal prison on each count, prosecutors said.