Posted on 12/15/2005 8:59:39 PM PST by Extremely Extreme Extremist
CHARDON, Ohio - 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Joyce said the plot was discovered when Byler's bank became suspicious about large sums of money being withdrawn from his account.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.
Could this old guy not have used a non-battery operated Tiffany-Crystal doll?
Maybe Amish rule forbids that too.... not sure.
LOLOLOL
I believe in draconian justice, and this story reinforces that feeling.
"You be careful out among the English." - Eli Lapp
Is this what they mean by an Amish Screw ?
Your sins will find you out.
Yeah, but even so, I feel sorry for the old guy.
Here's how the story should have turned out:
Prostitute & boyfriend: "There are photos of you and her on the Web."
Amish man: "Whew! Good thing the people I know don't own computers!"
The good news is that we'll still want some tail when we hit 75.
I'll bet they did it with the lights off.
How does an Amish person get $67,000??
You can save a lot not buying batteries.
lol
He didn't? I'd say he got exactly what he deserved.
He already uses a battery -- the conduction system in his heart.
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