A Georgia man, identified as 50-year-old Richard W. Long from Ellenwood, has been sentenced to two years in prison for his participation in an interstate extortion scheme, announced by United States Attorney Eric G. Olshan. The scheme targeted residents of Western Pennsylvania with fraudulent claims of arrest warrants, as detailed by the U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Pennsylvania.
According to a release published on the Department of Justice website, Long and his accomplices exploited individuals, purportedly good, hard-working citizens, convincing them they had failed to appear in court and faced arrest unless they met Long at bail bond agencies in Pittsburgh to pay cash "bonds" or "fines." Three victims were deceived into paying a combined total of around $39,750. These events were documented in July of 2022.
United States District Judge William S. Stickman IV, overseeing the case, condemned the reprehensible behavior of Long and his co-conspirators before imposing the two-year sentence. As obtained by the Department of Justice, Judge Stickman underscored the conspiracy's premeditation in targeting hard-working citizens to extort their hard-earned money.
The FBI and Allegheny County Sheriff's Office were recognized by U.S. Attorney Olshan for their work in the investigation that led to Long's conviction. Interestingly, the extortionists operated from within a Georgia prison using smuggled cell phones to place their deceptive calls linking with their targets in Pennsylvania. Assistant United States Attorney Shaun E. Sweeney was named as the prosecutor for the government in this case.
