Woman accused of plot to extort sex offender

7-29-2009 Florida:

PORT ST. LUCIE, FL -- A 46-year-old woman accused of a plot to extort thousands of dollars and a Cadillac from a sex offender with whom she reportedly had an amorous encounter faces a felony charge, according to a recently released arrest affidavit.

The 39-year-old victim told investigators July 8 he met a former co-worker, Carol Merrilee Wands, for lunch about a month prior.

The victim, who was sentenced to 15 years of sex offender probation in April 2005 after pleading no contest to a charge of lewd or lascivious battery, drove Wands to Chili’s in St. Lucie West in his 2003 Cadillac.

During lunch, the victim said, Wands revealed it had been “a long time” since she’d had sex and that she “needed a good man in her life,” an affidavit states.

The victim told investigators that on the ride home, Wands had him touch her chest.

The affidavit gave this account: At Wands’ residence, in the 400 block of Southeast Sandia Drive, Wands continued the encounter, putting her hands in his groin area. Wands grew hesitant and said she didn’t want to continue, and the victim stopped. They talked for awhile before the victim left.

The victim told investigators that about two weeks later he got a typed letter in an envelope he believed to be from Wands. The letter instructed him to make 33 payments of $1,000 in cash and provide the title to his Cadillac. He also was to give his probation officer’s name and supply proof of counseling sessions.

The letter writer wanted a lawyer to draft a contract “so that if the agreement was defaulted on, or something was to happen to the writer, the proceeds would continue to be paid to the writer’s family members, or a lien could be placed against "the victim,” the affidavit states.

In return, the writer indicated a report wouldn’t be filed with the victim’s probation officer “and therefore (the victim) would not go to jail.”

A state attorney’s office investigator, who declined this week to discuss the case in detail, helped the victim make “controlled recorded” calls to Wands, who reportedly threatened to file criminal charges against the victim unless she got cash and the Cadillac. Wands agreed to prepare a contract stating the victim would pay $1,000 and hand over the Cadillac on Monday. An additional $4,000 would be due by August 10.

The two met Monday and Wands produced the contract, which they signed. The victim gave Wands $1,000 and the key to his Cadillac before Wands was arrested on a felony extortion charge. ..Source.. by TC Palm.com

Deputies: St. Augustine woman stalked, extorted victims

8-14-2013 Florida:

Investigators say woman reported false crimes in attempt to impact their personal, professional lives

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. - A 39-year-old St. Augustine woman is accused of extorting and stalking six victims over the last year.

St. Johns County deputies said Tawny Blazejowski was using the Crime Stoppers tip line, the Department of Children and Families hotline, and the cyber tip line with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to make false reports of sexual and physical child abuse against the complainant.

Investigators said Blazejowski continually reported false crimes against several victims in an attempt to impact their personal and professional lives.

"There was enough evidence to support that it was her sitting at a keyboard actually sending out that information," said St. Johns County Sheriff's Sgt. Catherine Payne. "Stating that they were suspects of either physical child or sexual child abuse. So in turn the department of children and families would get involved."

During the investigation, detectives said they found evidence to support Blazejowski was using various means to threaten and extort her victims. Blazejowski was arrested in April and charged with two counts of extortion. She was released on $100,000 bond.

Deputies arrested Blazejowski again Wednesday on charges of extortion, four counts of aggravated stalking and making false reports to DCF.

"It appears there was some type of romantic relationship that went awry and that's how they are all connected," said Payne.

FL- Advocates Claim Sex Offenders Are Vulnerable

7-30-2009 Florida:

Response As Woman Accused Of Targeting Sex Offender

LAKE WORTH, Fla. -- "The public has become hysterical when you mention the word sex offender," said Dick Witherow.

The ordained minister ought to know what he's talking about when it comes to sex offenders. His Matthew 25 Ministries was the target of wrath early this year when he opened a village for offenders near Pahokee.

"The lives of people are being destroyed all because of the myths that are being promulgated by the news media and everything," said Witherow.

Despite his experience, he is surprised to hear of Carol Wands' arrest. She is the Port St. Lucie woman facing a charge of targeting a sex offender. Prosecutors said she tried to extort $33,000 and a Cadillac from a sex offender after she called off a steamy rendezvous.

IA- Authorities: Cop impersonator extorts money from sex offenders

4-4-2009 Iowa:

A registered Scott County sex offender is facing multiple felony charges after he allegedly tried to extort money out of other sex offenders by posing as a police officer.

Scott County Sheriff’s Department Sgt. Mike Erwin said that Ruben Avila Perales, 39, of 915 W. 6th St., Davenport, was arrested Friday at Rockingham Road and Concord Street in Davenport as he attempted to meet one of his victims.

Perales is charged with six counts of extortion, seven counts of impersonating a public official, failure to register as a sex offender-second offense, and failure to abide by the residency restrictions of a child sex offender. The last charge was because Perales was living within 2,000 feet of a school.

Perales is being held in the Scott County Jail. His bond has been set at $5,000, but the U.S. Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services now has a hold on Perales.

According to the arrest affidavit filed by Davenport police detective Rich Tubbs, Perales pretended to be a special agent with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, or DCI, and said that he was field coordinator for Zone 4 of the Iowa Sex Offender Registry.

Perales contacted six other sex offenders, identified himself as a police officer and made appointments to speak with them at their residence about discrepancies with their sex offender registration documents.

Perales threatened to arrest the victims if they missed their appointments and did not pay him $75 a piece for unpaid fees to the Iowa Sex Offender Registry.

Perales had made six separate file folders each of which contained information on each of his victims. Each of the folders contained the victim’s photo, personal information and an arrest warrant document.

Erwin and Tubbs are part of the Scott County Sex Offender Task Force.

Erwin said that they learned of the scheme in two ways.

One of the victims went to the Sheriff’s Department because he thought Perales’ story did not sound right, Erwin said.

“Then, by chance on Friday, we were out making compliance checks when one of the offenders we were checking asked if this took care of the other guy’s appointment,” Erwin said. That’s when detectives started asking more questions.

“It was all going down Friday,” Erwin said. “This guy was supposed to meet him (Perales) and he was going to pay the $75. They all were. None of them wanted to be arrested.”

Surveillance was set up with the help of the DCI, Scott County Attorney’s Office, and the Iowa Department of Correctional Services. When Perales showed up, he was arrested, Erwin said.

“We were concerned about how long this may have been going on,” Erwin said. “But we’re pretty confident he just got started and we slammed it shut.”

Perales was convicted in Scott County in 1991 of indecent contact with a child. In 1993 he was convicted in Scott County of sexual abuse third-degree. His victim was a male no older than 13.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons Web site, Perales was released from the federal prison in Yazoo City, Miss., Feb. 28, 2008. Why he was in federal prison could not be determined Saturday.

Extortion and failure to register as a sex offender second-offense each are Class D felonies under Iowa law that carry up to five years in prison. Impersonating a public official and violating residency restrictions are each aggravated misdemeanors that carry a prison sentence of up to two years. ..Source.. by Thomas Geyer

FL- Counselor charged with extorting sex offender

2-16-2009 Florida:

Bartow, Florida -- Deputies have arrested a mental health therapist on charges he tried to extort money from a sex offender he was counseling.

They say Dr. Paul H. Sandman, PhD., of Winter Haven, owner and operator of Adjustment & Awareness, took advantage of one of his court-ordered clients.

Investigators said a registered sexual offender attending four years of therapy was one month shy of completion when Sandman was arrested for marijuana possession and was removed from the list of acceptable providers for the Department of Corrections. Nonetheless, the offender was assured he would get his letter of completion.

Citing financial difficulties and the need to move to Tennessee, the doctor said he would provide a letter of completion, if the sex offender paid him $2,500. He later dropped the amount to $2,000, deputies said.

The offender complained to the sheriff's office. Deputies interviewed Sandman and booked him into the county jail without bond pending a court appearance Tuesday. ..News Source.. by Jim Peppard

Couple arrested for extorting would-be internet sex predators

7-22-2006 Ohio:

.CARROLLTON, OH - A local couple was locked up, accused of targeting would-be sex predators in their crimes. Investigators say they got the idea from the popular Dateline NBC series "To catch a predator," where men are set up by reporter Chris Hansen then turned over to police. But, in this Carroll County case, the suspects had a different motivation - money. The fair has begun in Carroll County but that's not what people are talking about on the square. "It's just repulsive,” Kelly Strock said. “So I don't know, I guess they're both pretty bad."

People don't know where to direct their outrage, at the predators, in this case the victims, or the suspects, 22-year-old Michael Barnett, AWOL from the Army for two years, and Barnett's wife, 21-year old Maria Catini - barely five feet tall - from Italy. Both face charges they used nude pictures and video of Maria to lure potential predators to Carroll County. "She was emailing people and telling them - I think he was involved in it also – [that] she was fifteen years old, soliciting herself for sex," Dale Williams with the Carroll County Sheriff's Department said. ..more.. : by WKYC-TV / Gannett News Service

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3 more indicted in extortion scheme
11-13-2006 Ohio:
.Three more people have been charged in connection with an alleged scam to extort money from online sexual predators. Felony indictments have been handed down in Carroll County Common Pleas Court against Dustin J. Bailey, 18, of 188 Port Cl., Carrollton, and Michael L. Mercer, 18, and Russel A. Slagle, 20, both of Salineville. Each face one count of attempted extortion and are scheduled to be arraigned Thursday.

According to investigators, on July 7, the three aided and abetted Michael B. Barnett, 22, and Maria D. Catini, 21, in the scheme. No details on what role the three played were available. Barnett of Salineville and Catini of Toronto were indicted in September on three counts extortion, two counts attempted extortion and three counts robbery.

Barnett and Catini, who are married, reportedly have admitted luring sexual predators to the area via the Internet since early this year. Investigators have said the couple would make contact with the predators over the telephone, making arrangements for them to meet and have sex with Catini, who was posing as a 15-year-old girl.

When the predators would report to the designated area on Rt. 39 near Salineville, Barnett would hide nearby, photograph the predators, then demand their money and valuables. ..more.. : by The Times Reporter