Philly Con Artist Uses Gay Sex Ad to Extort Thousands from Married NJ Man
Does anything not shady come out of Craigslist anymore? Nj.com reports that Steven J. Beisher, a 42-year-old man from Philly, pleaded guilty this week to using a gay sex ad on Craigslist to extort nearly $2,000 from a married man in New Jersey:
State police investigating the case said he placed a personal ad on Craigslist soliciting sex with a man. The victim in August 2012 responded to the ad and sent a naked picture of himself to Beisher.
Beisher then found the victim’s phone number and address and called him the next day, threatening to tell his wife and family that he’d responded to the sex ad if he didn’t pay him.
Beisher called to schedule meetings at various Philadelphia locations to collect payments. The victim met him seven times in nine days and made payments of $200 to $400.
He’d paid Beisher a total of $1,950 before refusing to meet him again. He reported the extortion to state police.
This evidently isn’t Beisher’s first run-in with the law. He’s been convicted eight times in Pennsylvania of everything from burglary to receiving stolen property. For this conviction, Beisher could face up to five years in prison.
