This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Fork over $10,000, the letter said, over I'll spill the beans on your sins.
Unsure what those unspecified offenses might be, a puzzled Salt Lake City man instead called police — and officers say they soon had the would-be extortionist in custody.
Salt Lake City police Sgt. Robin Heiden said the letter, with no postage, had been slipped into the 64-year-old victim's mailbox sometime Monday morning.
"He didn't know why he had received the letter," Heiden said. "But it was hand-delivered. He was more concerned the writer knew where he lived than what was threatened."
The letter demanded the victim contact the would-be extortionist to arrange a time and place to hand over the money. That is just what the man did, with the help of police.
At 2 p.m. Monday, the suspect arrived as scheduled, was arrested without incident and booked into the Salt Lake County Jail.
The 25-year-old man was being held Tuesday on suspicion of felony extortion.
Heiden said the victim handled the situation just right, and anyone facing such threats or other scams should call police.
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