Investigative reporter Gary Craig shares the latest news in the case against former Irondequoit Police Officer William Rosica. (June 21, 2017) Gary Craig and Shawn Dowd


Former Irondequoit Police Officer William Rosica enlisted other police to surveil his former girlfriend, had other individuals use disposable "burner" phones to pass information onto him about her whereabouts, and surreptitiously secured information about her television viewing that he then used "to show that he knew her every move," federal prosecutors allege.

In one instance, Rosica allegedly had an individual rummage through the woman's trash.

Rosica, who is accused of cyberstalking the woman, also at least once used racial epithets while on the job, accidentally recording angry remarks he made in which he used racial epithets multiple times, the authorities allege in court papers filed Tuesday.

Once, while searching for a missing African-American teenager, "Rosica eventually locates the child and confronts him in a loud and aggressive manner,"  the court papers allege. That, too, was recorded, according to the allegations from Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Gestring.

"During these recordings, Rosica becomes more and more enraged," the court papers allege. "He is recorded raising his voice to civilians, cursing at people in traffic, and using racial epithets.

"Rosica also threatens to physically assault people on more than one occasion."

More: Judge: Accused Irondequoit cop too dangerous to release

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Rosica is now jailed awaiting trial on federal criminal charges. Prosecutors and the FBI have already made troubling allegations about his pursuit of his estranged girlfriend. The new court papers paint an even more disturbing portrait, describing Rosica as a racist cop engaged in a near-psychotic pursuit of a former lover who herself was in an emotionally fragile state.

"Between February 2016 and March 2017, defendant William Rosica subjected the victim to a nonstop sadistic campaign of terror and psychological torture intended to kill, injure, harass, and intimidate her," Gestring alleges.

Last month Rosica challenged a decision from U.S. Magistrate Judge Jonathan Feldman to keep him jailed. His attorney, Assistant Federal Public Defender Mark Hosken, contended that Rosica could be released safely on home confinement and electronic monitoring.

Federal prosecutors and Hosken declined to comment Wednesday.

In the court papers filed Tuesday, prosecutors maintain that Rosica should stay jailed. Rosica "has already obstructed and attempted to obstruct justice; has already threatened and intimidated a witness" and will likely "continue to threaten, injure or intimidate a witness or attempt to do so if released," Gestring wrote.

U.S. District Judge Frank Geraci Jr. is scheduled to hear arguments Tuesday about whether Rosica can be released. There is a possibility of an adjournment.

In court and in earlier court papers, prosecutors detailed allegations of at least one instance when Rosica anonymously sent information to his former girlfriend that instructed her how to commit suicide. But authorities now allege far more expansive efforts to prompt the woman to kill herself.

On one October 2016 day he allegedly sent her four separate text messages from anonymous accounts — each with references to supposedly pain-free ways to take one's life.

Four days later, she received multiple text messages encouraging her to kill herself.

One allegedly said: "trailer trash lying cheating psycho u ruin everything you touch liar psycho liar cheater cheater liar psycho go taker some pills lots of them."

Another text allegedly said, "watch more suicide related movies then take some more of your pills."

'Stalking by proxy'

The court papers allege Rosica engaged in "physical stalking by proxy" of the victim, directing "other third parties to drive by the victim's home and report their observations back to him."

One individual allegedly used "burner phones" and prepaid phone cards to call him. "Rosica would pay that person in cash and directed that person to throw away the wrapping material of the new phones before giving them to him," the papers allege.

Another individual "conducted physical surveillance on the victim" more than a dozen times and even rifled through her trash for Rosica.

There is no indication in court papers that these individuals were police.

However, Rosica allegedly used his "official position " with the police department to get officers "in the victim's hometown to drive by her home and report her status to him 'off the record.' " The records do not identify the police department.

Other officers, including some in the Irondequoit department, ran license plate information for Rosica, believing it was for "authorized law enforcement work."

Once, three officers complained of Rosica's requests, and a patrol sergeant confronted him, telling him to have no more contact with the officers. (The court papers again do not state what department the officers were with.)

Anonymous harassment

Authorities also claim that Rosica used an anonymous identity, Katy Jones, to harass the victim. At the same time, he claimed to her that he, too, was being bothered by a woman named Katy Jones.

Some text messages from Katy Jones were even directed to the woman's ex-husband. 

In one email to the victim supposedly from Katy Jones, Rosica allegedly wrote, "Both Doctors were right about you — Borderline Personality Disorder with Mania and Depression ... You are pathetic, PSYCHO, a LIAR, and the MOST untrustworthy person I have ever met.

"What would your son think of his mother being suicidal."

Over three months, Rosica allegedly accessed or tried to access the woman's Time Warner Cable account more than 220 times. He would pretend to be her, then get information about her account and even recent movies she'd watched.

He then used the information in emails to the victim "to show that he knew her every move," Gestring wrote.

He did the same with other victims, and "would routinely reset their cable and phone services to harass, annoy and cause harm to the victims," authorities allege.

The court papers do not specify who the other victims may be. In court, prosecutors have said that at least one other woman now alleges she was harassed and cyberstalked by Rosica.

NOTE: This document has been redacted due to offensive language.

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