A federal jury in Memphis on Friday convicted an Arlington woman of retaliatory cyberstalking that targeted a Shelby County prosecutor. Adrienne Rosse, 37, was found guilty on two counts after a three-day federal trial, according to prosecutors.
According to prosecutors, the harassment started after the assistant district attorney told Rosse she planned to retry Rosse’s husband on state sex-related charges. In August 2023, Rosse anonymously mailed packets to the Tennessee attorney general, the Shelby County district attorney’s office, the Memphis Bar Association, several news outlets, and the Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility that contained more than 20 pages of pornographic photos of a woman who resembled the ADA. A second wave of the same letters went out to local defense attorneys in November 2023, according to Action News 5.
Prosecutors Say Smear Effort Derailed Career
U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant called the campaign to smear a local prosecutor “reprehensible” and said the government will seek a significant sentence, prosecutors told Action News 5. The barrage of explicit mailings allegedly drove the ADA out of Shelby County, forcing her to continue her prosecutorial career elsewhere. Prosecutors said Rosse was “filled with rage” after learning the ADA intended to retry her husband. Rosse is scheduled to be sentenced on August 5, 2026.
Federal Law And Possible Penalties
Federal law makes it a crime to use the mail or an interactive computer service to carry out a course of conduct that causes substantial emotional distress; that offense is covered by 18 U.S.C. §2261. A conviction under those provisions can carry up to five years in prison and may be accompanied by fines; for many felonies, the maximum fine is $250,000 under 18 U.S.C. §3571. Judges may also impose a term of supervised release after a prison sentence; authorized supervised-release terms are outlined in 18 U.S.C. §3583. Federal parole was largely abolished for offenses committed after 1987, so defendants generally serve the sentence imposed, according to the Government Accountability Office.
What Happens Next
Rosse is set to return to federal court for sentencing on August 5, 2026, and prosecutors have signaled they will ask for a substantial term given the targeted nature of the harassment. The case highlights how online or mailed campaigns meant to intimidate or professionally ruin a public servant can end up in federal court when they involve interstate communications.
