A Brookhaven man pleaded guilty to a count of wire fraud after convincing a defendant that a $15,000 bribe would lead to the person’s federal case being dismissed.
Jamal Harrison was recently sentenced in the extortion scheme, according to federal court records. He received three years of probation and was ordered to pay $12,000 in restitution in addition to a $5,000 fine.
According to the FBI, Harrison pretended to be a part-time GBI employee and tried to extort an unnamed Atlanta resident who was arrested in July 2020. Harrison said he knew the federal prosecutor over the person’s case and that the case could be dropped in exchange for a bribe.
The victim initially refused, but Harrison ramped up his scheme days later. The FBI said Harrison claimed the prosecutor would file additional charges and seek a longer prison sentence if a bribe wasn’t paid. The victim then paid $12,000 in cash. Harrison lied and said he gave the money to the prosecutor when he really just kept it.
By January 2021, the victim and their attorney met with the federal prosecutor about the case and realized the victim had been extorted. The next month, the victim entered a guilty plea in that federal case.
Despite the guilty plea, Harrison continued to tell the victim that the charges would be dismissed if the person paid more money, the FBI said. Two months later, the victim gave Harrison $3,000 in cash during a recorded meeting in exchange for a guarantee that the case would be dismissed. The incident led to Harrison’s arrest.
“Harrison allegedly promised a favorable outcome in the victim’s federal case when instead it was just a scam,” U.S. Attorney Kurt R. Erskine said in a prior news release. “If a member of the public is asked to pay a bribe, don’t pay it and call the FBI immediately.”
Harrison, who was 33 years old when he was arrested, was indicted on six counts of wire fraud, but five of the counts were dismissed as part of his guilty plea. He was sentenced last Thursday.
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