CHARDON, Ohio – A man was sentenced to four years in prison for helping to extort $67,000 from an elderly Amish widower in exchange for keeping quiet about his solicitation of a prostitute.
"I am aware of the pain I have caused people, and how terrible my actions were," Patrick Lansdowne said in court Wednesday.
Lansdowne, 41, of Cleveland, was also ordered to pay $14,327 restitution to Jake Byler, 75, of Burton Township. He pleaded guilty March 2 to two counts of theft from an elderly person and extortion.
Prosecutors said Byler handed over the money because the scammers convinced him photos of him and the prostitute would appear on the Internet. The plot was discovered last year when Byler's bank became suspicious about large sums of money being withdrawn from his account.
The bank notified his son, who had power of attorney, of the withdrawals. The son contacted the sheriff's office, which eventually got Byler to reveal the extortion plot, authorities said.
Lansdowne's three co-defendants all pleaded guilty last month. Two were sentenced to prison and one awaits sentencing.
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