This guy is a great asset to DHSM
NEWS
Man sentenced for attempted extortion
Published: Saturday, June 27, 2009; Last Updated: Sat. Jun 27, 2009, 9:50am
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By Carl Hessler Jr., chessler@pottsmerc.com
NORRISTOWN — A Stroudsburg man is headed to jail for trying to extort $2,000 from the owner of a Lower Providence massage therapy business by threatening to make false allegations against the business owner.
Lorenzo "Larry" Formato, 52, was sentenced in Montgomery County Court to 90 days to 23 months in the county jail after he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of theft by extortion in connection with the January 2008 incident.
Judge Thomas C. Branca, who accepted a plea agreement in the case, said Formato must serve the sentence on 45 consecutive weekends beginning July 12.
Court documents indicate that the extortion attempt began on Jan. 22, 2008, after the massage therapy business owner interviewed a woman to work for him. As part of the interview process, the businessman asked the woman to provide him with a massage to determine if she was suitable for employment, according to the criminal complaint.
About an hour after the employment interview ended, the business owner got a phone call from a man who identified himself as "Larry" and as the boyfriend of the woman who applied for the masseuse job.
"Larry" was very irate and repeatedly accused the business owner of operating a house of prostitution and taking advantage of the female job applicant, according to the arrest affidavit filed by Lower Providence Detective Terrence Kennedy.
"Larry" accused the business owner of exposing himself to the woman, which the businessman denied. "Larry" then told the businessman that he knows a lot of lawyers and that he was going to sue the businessman, go to the media and then slander his name, according to the criminal complaint.
"Larry" demanded the businessman pay him $2,000 plus $50 for the massage the woman gave to him, and a meeting was arranged to occur at a parking lot at Route 363 and Valley Forge Road on Jan. 24.
The businessman contacted police and through the use of a consensual wiretap taped a phone conversation during which Formato told the businessman that, "there would be no further problems as long as the money was delivered," according to the criminal complaint.
At 11:40 a.m. Jan. 24, police and county detectives, who had the meeting place under surveillance, witnessed the business owner hand an envelope containing $2,000 to Formato. Formato was taken into custody and the $2,000 was recovered from inside Formato's vehicle, police said. Continued...
"Formato said he extorted the money for his girlfriend to impress her," Kennedy alleged in the arrest affidavit.
Under state law, by pleading guilty to the extortion charge, Formato admitted that he intentionally obtained property of another person by threatening to expose any secret tending to subject the person to hatred, contempt or ridicule.
