A Florida state representative from Miami Beach has admitted to reporters that he is the author of sexually charged, anonymous and apparently unwanted text messages sent to a married attorney in Miami's United States Attorney's Office.
Investigators traced the texts to the phone and Internet accounts of Rep. Richard Steinberg, D-Miami Beach, after executing a Jan. 25 search warrant at the South Florida office of the Yahoo! Internet company.
The texts were sent over the course of three months last year, beginning in August, to the cellphone of Assistant U.S. Attorney Marlene Fernandez-Karavetsos.
She initiated the investigation with a complaint of criminal stalking, which became the basis for the search warrant.
The warrant's narrative indicates Fernandez-Karavetsos repeatedly asks via texts for the sender to identify himself, and asks that he stop texting. Screenshots of various texts are included in the search warrant.
"Sexxxy mama?" reads the first text on Aug. 8.
Fernandez-Karavetsos answered, "How do I know you?" and "Who is this?" She eventually wrote, "Leave me alone."
Subsequent texts read "How’s motherhood?" and "Getting any sleep?" The writer also asks how her baby is doing, by name.
"This is the last time I'm going to ask. You've been texting long enough. Who is this?" replied Fernandez-Karavetsos.
The reply: "Considering we’re both married parents, probably best I not answer that at this point."
From work in Tallahassee, Steinberg emailed a response to reporter inquiries: "I acknowledge and take full responsibility for sending inappropriate and unsolicited messages to Mrs. Marlene Fernandez-Karvetsos, whom I have known for more than 15 years. I deeply regret and wholeheartedly apologize for the disrespect that I have shown her, her husband and my constituents. Most importantly, words cannot express how sorry I am to my wife, for the disrespect I have shown her, and my entire family."
Investigators have not said whether they plan to charge Steinberg with criminal stalking, which carries a possible one-year jail term.
