Escort Robber Christian Young Found Guilty on Wednesday

 

29-year-old Christian Andre Young
29-year-old Christian Andre Young

After deliberating for four hours on Wednesday, an Anchorage jury found 29-year-old Christian Andre Young guilty of the charges of Robbery I, Impersonating a Public servant and Interfering with Official Proceedings that were leveled against him, prosecutors reported.

The current case had its beginnings when an escort reported to police that she had been robbed of money and an iPhone at gunpoint in a hotel room in June of 2016. The victim told police that after she refused to cooperate when Young “attempted to get money from her by pretending to be a police officer,” he pulled a gun and robbed her, the Attorney General’s office said. Young was arrested on robbery and impersonating charges.

Then, in August, Young asked his girlfriend, Chante Garcia, to contact the victim and offer her money and the return of her iPhone in exchange for the victim dropping the charges. The victim refused, and instead, called police detectives and reported the contact and offer. Garcia was arrested and charged with Interfering with Official Proceedings. The  same charge was leveled at Young.

Garcia would later agree to cooperate with investigators and the charges against her were dismissed.

In court, Young admitted to stealing the money and iPhone from the victim while she was in the bathroom, but said he never had a gun and did not impersonate an officer.


Young, who was convicted of robbing two escorts in a hotel room at gunpoint in 2012, told the court that he didn’t know that offering payment to discourage a witness or victim to cooperate with authorities.

See also  Legislature Passes Bill Establishing Direct Health Care Agreements

Scheduling for sentencing is set up for July 6th and Young faces a presumptive sentence of 17 years. Young was still on probation for the previous escort robberies when he carried out his most recent escort holdup.

There are several charges in prior cases that are set for trial, including Resisting Arrest by Barricading, Drug and Contraband, and Assault on a Police Officer. Young was the subject of a massive manhunt in western Alaska on Dillingham heroin charges in 2016.