A federal grand jury in North Texas indicted Canadian national Nikolay Sapov on two counts of felony stalking, according to court documents. The charges stem from alleged harassment of a former coworker he met at the Miami Open, which authorities say escalated from unwanted gifts and tracking to following her from Canada to Dallas.
The indictment, unsealed this week in the Northern District of Texas, alleges Sapov engaged in a pattern of harassment spanning multiple states and years, according to court documents. If convicted on both counts, Sapov faces up to five years in federal prison per count, followed by supervised release and potential financial penalties.
The following day, Sapov reappeared at her apartment wearing a rubber mask, fleeing when a neighbor confronted him via a Ring doorbell camera, according to the report.
Court records detail the origin of the relationship, stating Sapov and the victim met while both were working at the Miami Open tennis tournament in 2021. The victim told investigators that Sapov initially made her uncomfortable, but her father advised her to be kind to him, believing he might be on the autism spectrum. Shortly after they met, Sapov allegedly opened an LLC in her name and developed an intense fixation on Argentina, the victim’s home country, attempting to learn Spanish.
The alleged harassment escalated over time. According to the indictment, Sapov sent unwanted gifts to the victim, including a star-naming certificate in 2023 that was delivered to her apartment, despite her never having provided him with her address. He also attempted to persuade her to travel to Canada to return a bag he had left at the Miami Open. Officials said Sapov tracked the social media accounts and addresses of the victim and her family without her consent. Text messages and emails obtained by investigators show Sapov professing his love; the victim said she eventually began ignoring and muting his communications.
The case came to a head in Dallas in June 2026. The victim found Sapov at her Dallas apartment complex on June 23, a location she had never disclosed to him. Dallas police filed a stalking offense report that day for a man matching Sapov’s description, and he was released. Another neighbor later told police they had seen a man matching Sapov’s description walking around the complex for two weeks prior.
Fearing for her life, the victim said she stayed in a hotel and purchased a firearm for protection. After the Dallas incidents, Sapov allegedly sent the victim AI-generated images of himself and her.
The FBI linked Sapov to two earlier stalking incidents in Florida: one in 2025 at the victim’s parents’ house in Orlando and another in 2023 when she lived in Plantation. Police connected Sapov to all three incidents through his clothing and a Papa John’s pizza purchase made during the 2023 incident, found near the victim’s apartment.
Sapov was detained on Aug. 22 by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol while traveling on an Amtrak train bound for Canada. A subsequent search of his phone revealed images of the victim and notes containing her address, officials said. Investigators also recovered a Flipper Zero electronic device from him, which they linked to the 2023 Orlando incident.
U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould stated, “No individual has the right to terrorize another human being or shatter their sense of safety inside their own home… This indictment makes our position clear: predatory behavior across borders will be met with swift, uncompromising federal justice.” FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock added, “Stalking and targeted harassment can have a profound impact… The FBI remains committed to identifying and holding accountable those who use threats and intimidation to instill fear.”
Sapov is scheduled to appear in federal court in Dallas at a later date. The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas.
