Press Release

Guilty Verdict Against Anchorage Man Charged with Impersonating a Police Officer and Robbery

January 23, 2020

(Anchorage, AK) – A jury yesterday convicted an Anchorage man of pretending to be a police officer and attempting to get money from a woman he had arranged to meet as an escort, and then robbing her at gunpoint when she refused to cooperate.

The jury found 29-year-old Christian Andre Young guilty of Robbery in the First Degree, Impersonating a Public Servant, and Interference with Official Proceedings.

The robbery and impersonation charges arose in June 2016 when Young set up a hotel room appointment with the woman and then attempted to get money from her by pretending to be a police officer. When the victim did not cooperate, he robbed her at gunpoint of money and an iPad.

The interference charges arose two months later, while Young was awaiting trial. Young asked his girlfriend, Chante Garcia, to offer the victim money and the return of her iPad if she would drop the charges against him. The victim reported this to Anchorage Police Department detectives working the case, and both Young and Garcia were then charged with Interference with Official Proceedings. Garcia later agreed to cooperate with law enforcement and the charge against her was dismissed.

At trial, Young admitted he had stolen the money and the iPad when the victim was in the bathroom but denied he ever had a gun or pretended to be a police officer. Young also testified that he did not know it was illegal to offer money to refuse to cooperate with police or the prosecutors.

The jury deliberated for four hours before finding Young guilty of all three charges.

Sentencing is scheduled to occur on July 6, 2020. In part due to his criminal history, Young faces a presumptive sentence of up to 17 years. Young was previously convicted in 2012 of robbing two escorts at gunpoint in their hotel rooms. Young was still on probation for the 2012 robbery when he committed the 2016 offense.

Assistant District Attorney Saritha Anjilvel, who prosecuted the case, thanked the Anchorage Police Department for their hard work in investigating the crimes.

CONTACT: Assistant District Attorney Saritha Anjilvel at (907) 269-6300 or at saritha.anjilvel@alaska.gov

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Department Media Contacts: Communications Director Patty Sullivan at patty.sullivan@alaska.gov or (907) 269-6368. Information Officer Sam Curtis at sam.curtis@alaska.gov or (907) 269-6269.