Couple indicted for trying to extort Georgia Tech

A federal grand jury in Atlanta has indicted an Arizona couple for conspiring to extort money from Georgia Tech by falsely accusing Yellow Jackets basketball coach Josh Pastner of sexual assault.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia, Ronald Bell and co-defendant Jennifer Pendley were indicted on felony charges of conspiracy to transmit a threat interstate, conspiracy to extort property from another and attempted extortion on Aug. 24.

«The defendants are alleged to have falsely accused Georgia Tech's coach of sexual assault,» U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan said in a statement. «They then demanded a large payment in exchange for a retraction of the claim. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and our other federal law enforcement partners are especially proficient in exposing false allegations designed to extort money. Individuals who attempt to perpetrate such criminal schemes at the expense of law-abiding citizens will be caught and prosecuted.»

In a motion filed to the court on Friday, Buchanan asked a federal judge not to release Bell on bond because there is a «serious risk that the defendant will flee» and a «serious risk that the defendant will threaten, injure, or intimidate a prospective witness or juror, or attempt to do so.»

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Bell and Pendley allegedly conspired with each other and Chris Meegan, a Georgia Tech security guard, to falsely accuse Pastner of sexual assault. The government accused Bell of recruiting Meegan to falsely claim that he witnessed Pastner assault Pendley, who later filed a lawsuit against Pastner in which she accused him of sexual battery, sexual assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

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