Steven Beisher
A New Jersey man paid almost $2,000 in blackmail money to an extortionist whom he had the bad luck to cross paths with over Craigslist. Philadelphia’s Steven J. Beisher, 42, pleaded guilty to second-degree theft by extortion yesterday and could face up to five years in prison for blackmailing an unidentified man who responded to his ad soliciting homosexual sex. According to Acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman:
The victim responded to the ad in August 2012 and sent Beisher a naked photo of himself. Beisher found the victim’s telephone number and address and called him the following day, threatening to expose the victim to his wife and family if he did not pay Beisher money. Beisher called repeatedly to demand that the victim meet him at various locations in Philadelphia to make payments. The victim met Beisher seven times over the course of nine days, making payments ranging from $200 to $400. The victim paid Beisher a total of $1,950 before refusing to meet him again and reporting him to the State Police.
According to officials, Beisher has eight prior felony convictions in Pennsylvania, including five burglary convictions and two convictions for receiving stolen property. Most recently, he was convicted of theft by extortion in Pennsylvania in October 2012. He’ll be sentenced in July.
h/t – gothamist
