Kennett Square Resident Charged with Making Extortionate Threats

Agnes O’Brien was charged in an indictment with three counts of making interstate extortionate threats, announced United States Attorney Zane David Memeger. The indictment alleges that, from in or about December 2009, through July 1, 2010, O’Brien engaged in a scheme to extort money from a victim by threatening to publish a book containing references to the victim’s personal life, friends, and family that would embarrass the victim. The indictment alleges that O’Brien demanded, among other things, a $200,000 up-front payment, followed by annual payments of $250,000 for the duration of her life, in exchange for her agreeing not to publish material that would be harmful to the victim’s reputation. The indictment further alleges that O’Brien followed up in her attempts to extort money by sending harassing emails and text messages to the victim, by claiming that she had a publisher and film producer interested in the book, and by claiming she would publish her book from jail if prosecuted. The indictment alleges also that later on in the scheme, O’Brien revised her demand to one for, among other things, a $200,000 interest-free “loan” of which she would repay only $60,000, followed by annual payments of $150,000 net of taxes for the duration of her life.

If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum sentence of six years’ imprisonment, a three-year term of supervised release, a $750,000 fine, and a $300 special assessment.

INFORMATION REGARDING THE DEFENDANT

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lauren M. Ouziel.