Jan 24, 2020

Omaha man gets prison after 20 years of stalking woman

Posted Jan 24, 2020 11:19 AM

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - An Omaha man has been sentenced to federal prison after he carried out a more than 20-year campaign to stalk and terrorize a woman he met at a church singles club.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for Nebraska said in a release Thursday that Craig Niedbalski, 61, was sentenced Wednesday to more than four years in federal prison for convictions of internet stalking and transporting an explosive with intent to injure.

Investigators said Niedbalski met the woman in 1986, and that from 1996 to 2018, he sent her more than 100 threatening and sexually explicit letters and postcards. Investigators said he also sent what appeared to be a pipe bomb in 2003 and an improvised explosive device in 2018 to the woman. Neither item exploded, and no one was injured.

Despite numerous protective orders placed against him, Niedbalski refused to admit that he was sending the threats. Finally, in 2018, officials said, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service was able to trace a digital postage label affixed to the IED to Niedbalski.