OK, Let's Get To Some Kentucky News: Lester Goetzinger, Who Made "Extortion" Phone Calls To Rick Pitino On Behalf Of Karen Sypher Faces Federal Charge
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A second defendant has been charged in the alleged scheme to extort money from University of Louisville men's basketball coach Rick Pitino.
Lester Goetzinger, 49, was charged Wednesday with aiding and abetting Karen Cunagin Sypher by making three phone calls to Pitino that included "a threat to make public claims concerning events alleged to have occurred in 2003."
Goetzinger made the calls after Sypher told him she hoped to get money from Pitino, and placed them from a pay phone at her direction to prevent them from being traced, according to the court document charging Goetzinger.
The charge is punishable by up to two years in prison and a $250,000 fine, but Goetzinger's lawyer, John Berry, and the government struck a deal in which it will be dropped if Goetzinger successfully completes a one-year pretrial diversion program.
The U.S. attorney's office said in a statement that diversion is offered to defendants "whose conduct and background show they are not habitual criminals and do not pose a risk of re-offending; who have truthfully accepted responsibility for their actions; and who will likely be successful in demonstrating good conduct during the diversion period.
The charge against Goetzinger says he left messages on Pitino's cell phone on Feb. 26 and Feb. 28 using an unlisted number and other information that Sypher provided him.
Sypher, also 49, a former model and the estranged wife of Pitino's equipment manager and assistant, was indicted last month on charges that she had another person call Pitino in February and threaten to go public with allegations of "a criminal nature" against him.
Sypher, who has previously been described as a friend of Goetzinger, faces two years in prison if convicted on that charge, and another five for allegedly lying to the FBI when she said she didn't know who had made the calls for her.
In a complaint filed April 23, an FBI agent said Sypher had demanded that Pitino pay off her house, pay for her children's college, give her $3,000 a month in cash and buy her two cars of her choice.
A lawyer she hired later, Dana Kolter, demanded $10 million on her behalf, according to court records.
Kolter's lawyer, Rob Eggert, declined to comment when asked if he expects his client to be charged.
...
A second defendant has been charged in the alleged scheme to extort money from University of Louisville men's basketball coach Rick Pitino.
Lester Goetzinger, 49, was charged Wednesday with aiding and abetting Karen Cunagin Sypher by making three phone calls to Pitino that included "a threat to make public claims concerning events alleged to have occurred in 2003."
Goetzinger made the calls after Sypher told him she hoped to get money from Pitino, and placed them from a pay phone at her direction to prevent them from being traced, according to the court document charging Goetzinger.
The charge is punishable by up to two years in prison and a $250,000 fine, but Goetzinger's lawyer, John Berry, and the government struck a deal in which it will be dropped if Goetzinger successfully completes a one-year pretrial diversion program.
The U.S. attorney's office said in a statement that diversion is offered to defendants "whose conduct and background show they are not habitual criminals and do not pose a risk of re-offending; who have truthfully accepted responsibility for their actions; and who will likely be successful in demonstrating good conduct during the diversion period.
The charge against Goetzinger says he left messages on Pitino's cell phone on Feb. 26 and Feb. 28 using an unlisted number and other information that Sypher provided him.
Sypher, also 49, a former model and the estranged wife of Pitino's equipment manager and assistant, was indicted last month on charges that she had another person call Pitino in February and threaten to go public with allegations of "a criminal nature" against him.
Sypher, who has previously been described as a friend of Goetzinger, faces two years in prison if convicted on that charge, and another five for allegedly lying to the FBI when she said she didn't know who had made the calls for her.
In a complaint filed April 23, an FBI agent said Sypher had demanded that Pitino pay off her house, pay for her children's college, give her $3,000 a month in cash and buy her two cars of her choice.
A lawyer she hired later, Dana Kolter, demanded $10 million on her behalf, according to court records.
Kolter's lawyer, Rob Eggert, declined to comment when asked if he expects his client to be charged.
...
Labels: College sports, Crime, Punishment
posted by KYJurisDoctor at 10:39 AM
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