Ex-party chief’s son arrested

The 37-year-old son of former state Republican Party chairwoman and one-time Romanian presidential candidate Lia Roberts was arrested Tuesday on charges in connection with threatening messages sent to a Pennsylvania woman.

George Arnold, who left Romania with his mother when he was 10 years old, appeared Wednesday in federal court in downtown Las Vegas. U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert Johnston ordered Arnold to be detained. He is expected to be extradited to Pennsylvania to face the charges.

According to a warrant for his arrest, Arnold sent several life-threatening text messages and e-mails to a Philadelphia woman. Between Feb. 25 and March 24, authorities alleged, Arnold sent five messages to the woman, who is not identified in the warrant.

The complaint was filed in federal court because the threats were sent into one state from another.

"I could be in a maximum security prison and you are still going to drown in your own blood from any where in this world, run on this puny small planet. you can run but you cannot hide," one e-mail read. "IT'S INEVITABLE YOU ARE (EXPLETIVE) MY DEAR BUT ALL IN DUE TIME GOT A FEW YEARS, I CAN PROMISE YOU ONE THING YOU WON'T SEE YOUR DAUGHTER GET MARRIED OR GRADUATE."

Arnold wrote that the woman should hire a security guard and said "naughty girls die," the arrest warrant said.

The warrant said Arnold also left a voice message: "You are going to die ... You better make funeral arrangements. People like you don't deserve to live."

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Tao convinced Johnston that Arnold posed a danger to the community. Tao said Arnold struggles with a drug problem and does not have a stable job. Tao referred to the message as "somewhat horrific and gruesome."

Attorney Paola Armeni urged Johnston to release Arnold and allow him to live with his mother. She said Arnold, a graduate of UNLV, has joint custody of his 8-year-old son and works as a tradesman. She said he has no violent criminal history.

"The alleged victim lives in Pennsylvania. He's not in the same state as her," Armeni said. "There is no actual threat of physical harm to her."

Roberts sat quietly in the courtroom and declined to comment. Her attorney, Peter Gibson, unsuccessfully argued for Arnold's release, saying his mother is capable of taking care of him.

"She is a person of long standing in this community," he said.

Roberts ran for president in Romania in 2004. She self-financed her campaign but dropped out of the race because of poor poll numbers, according to news accounts.