Man accused of stalking ex-girlfriend pleads guilty, sentenced to 180 days in jail

SANDY, Utah (ABC4) — A man who was accused of stalking his ex-girlfriend has pleaded guilty to harassment, and he was sentenced to 180 days in jail.

Ioan Murgoi, 40, was charged with stalking a current or former cohabitant, which is a third-degree felony. Through a plea deal, he pleaded guilty to the lower charge of electronic communication harassment, a class B misdemeanor, and he was sentenced to 180 days in jail.

Credit was granted for time served, and prior to sentencing, he served 53 days, so he will be released in 127 days. However, he was also served with a continuous protective order on behalf of the victim.

According to charging documents, Murgoi and the victim were in a consensual sexual relationship between June and November 2024, when the victim ended the relationship.

In February of this year, the victim met a friend for dinner at a restaurant in Salt Lake City, and as she was leaving, she heard someone try to open the driver’s side rear door. The doors were locked, and she saw that it was Murgoi, who banged on the window and tried to open the door. He was reportedly holding flowers and a bible, and he said he wanted to talk to her.

Murgoi also told the victim now to call the police or “she would regret it,” according to charging documents. She called the police, but he left before police arrived.

In March, the victim reported to Sandy Police that she received a notification that there was an AirTag in her vehicle.

She told the police officer that Murgoi had been stalking and threatening her: calling, texting, and showing up unannounced to her home despite her telling him not to contact her. Reportedly, she feared for her safety and moved out of her home.

The victim and the police officer retrieved an AirTag from underneath her vehicle, but police were unable to get usable prints from it and when requested, Apple said that no data for the AirTag existed.

Later, in June, Sandy Police investigators spoke to Murgoi, and he admitted to going up to her vehicle in the parking lot with flowers and the bible in February, but he did not explain how he knew she was there. He also denied placing an AirTag in her car.

The victim also made reports with North Salt Lake police, providing copies of unwanted emails and texts from Murgoi dating between November 2024 and February 2025. During that time, Murgoi sent emails sometimes multiple times a day.

He sent several sexually explicit photos via email, and otherwise, the emails were focused on their relationship and money related to work Murgoi did for the victim. The victim repeatedly told Murgoi she did not want contact from him and asked him to stop. She also told him he was scaring her and that she was considering a protective order.

In January 2025, North Salt Lake Police contacted Murgoi and told him to stop contacting her. He did not stop, and he continued to contact her about money and asked her if she would call the police on him again.

According to charging documents, Murgoi gifted the victim $1,000, which she accepted “due to not wanting to give Murgoi grounds for further communication.” Murgoi also attempted to friend her on Facebook, and she blocked him.