slacker
Team HuskerBoard
Irreguler News for 12.16.05
Chardon, OH -- A 75-year-old Amish widower, afraid his church community would find out about him seeking sex from a prostitute, was scammed out of more than $67,000 from the prostitute and her boyfriend, a prosecutor says.
Jake Byler of Burton Township gave the pair the money because they had convinced him that photos of Byler and the prostitute would appear on the Internet, said county prosecutor David Joyce.
Kimberly M. Webber, 35, and Patrick T. Lansdowne, 41, of Cleveland, were indicted Tuesday on six felony charges, including extortion, theft from an elderly person and burglary.
Both remained jailed on Wednesday and could not be reached for comment. If convicted, each faces a possible sentence of two to eight years in jail.
Two men accused of being accomplices — Stanley D. Roy, 42, of Cleveland, and George C. Steffen, 63, of Brunswick — also were indicted. Joyce said Roy and Steffen were charged with theft and receiving stolen property.
There was no telephone listing for Steffen.
Roy said all he did was drive Webber to Byler's house so the two could meet for sex. He said he assumed Byler was Webber's "sugar daddy," and he never sensed an extortion plot.
"He didn't seem to be doing anything against his will," Roy said of Byler.
Joyce said Byler is a victim.
"He made a few errors in judgment, but he certainly didn't deserve what happened to him," Joyce said.
Joyce said the plot was discovered when Byler's bank became suspicious about large sums of money being withdrawn from his account. The bank called his son, who had power of attorney, and notified him of the withdrawals.
The son and daughter-in-law contacted the sheriff's department, which eventually got Byler to reveal what had been going on: Lansdowne had convinced Byler that someone broke into his rural home east of Cleveland and installed a camera in the bedroom.
Byler believed photos existed of he and Webber having sex and that the images would appear on the Web. Lansdowne said he knew a man who would get rid of the pictures for money and Byler began tapping into his accounts, took out a bank loan and gave the pair cash he had stored in his home.
Byler believed the story until he spoke to detectives, Joyce said. The money is gone, Joyce said.
"When he realized he was getting duped he actually broke down and started to cry," Joyce said Wednesday. "He thought these guys were friends and helping him get the pictures off the Internet."
Authorities got a deacon at Byler's church to help videotape Webber receiving Byler's final $500 payment. The deacon, wearing a hidden transmitter and hiding a tape recorder, got the woman to explain why she was receiving the money while a hidden video camera on Byler's front porch rolled.
After Webber received the money, deputies stopped the car she was riding in and arrested her.
Full Story
Chardon, OH -- A 75-year-old Amish widower, afraid his church community would find out about him seeking sex from a prostitute, was scammed out of more than $67,000 from the prostitute and her boyfriend, a prosecutor says.
Jake Byler of Burton Township gave the pair the money because they had convinced him that photos of Byler and the prostitute would appear on the Internet, said county prosecutor David Joyce.
Kimberly M. Webber, 35, and Patrick T. Lansdowne, 41, of Cleveland, were indicted Tuesday on six felony charges, including extortion, theft from an elderly person and burglary.
Both remained jailed on Wednesday and could not be reached for comment. If convicted, each faces a possible sentence of two to eight years in jail.
Two men accused of being accomplices — Stanley D. Roy, 42, of Cleveland, and George C. Steffen, 63, of Brunswick — also were indicted. Joyce said Roy and Steffen were charged with theft and receiving stolen property.
There was no telephone listing for Steffen.
Roy said all he did was drive Webber to Byler's house so the two could meet for sex. He said he assumed Byler was Webber's "sugar daddy," and he never sensed an extortion plot.
"He didn't seem to be doing anything against his will," Roy said of Byler.
Joyce said Byler is a victim.
"He made a few errors in judgment, but he certainly didn't deserve what happened to him," Joyce said.
Joyce said the plot was discovered when Byler's bank became suspicious about large sums of money being withdrawn from his account. The bank called his son, who had power of attorney, and notified him of the withdrawals.
The son and daughter-in-law contacted the sheriff's department, which eventually got Byler to reveal what had been going on: Lansdowne had convinced Byler that someone broke into his rural home east of Cleveland and installed a camera in the bedroom.
Byler believed photos existed of he and Webber having sex and that the images would appear on the Web. Lansdowne said he knew a man who would get rid of the pictures for money and Byler began tapping into his accounts, took out a bank loan and gave the pair cash he had stored in his home.
Byler believed the story until he spoke to detectives, Joyce said. The money is gone, Joyce said.
"When he realized he was getting duped he actually broke down and started to cry," Joyce said Wednesday. "He thought these guys were friends and helping him get the pictures off the Internet."
Authorities got a deacon at Byler's church to help videotape Webber receiving Byler's final $500 payment. The deacon, wearing a hidden transmitter and hiding a tape recorder, got the woman to explain why she was receiving the money while a hidden video camera on Byler's front porch rolled.
After Webber received the money, deputies stopped the car she was riding in and arrested her.
Full Story