Victim blackmailed into paying Georgia prosecutors a ‘bribe,’ feds say. It was a scam
A 33-year-old Georgia man is accused of extorting a fake bribe from a defendant in a federal criminal case in exchange for getting the charges dropped — a promise on which he never delivered, prosecutors said.
Jamal Harrison of Brookhaven was indicted on six counts of wire fraud in connection with the alleged scheme.
“Harrison allegedly promised a favorable outcome in the victim’s federal case when instead it was just a scam,” Acting U.S. Attorney Kurt R. Erskine said in a Thursday release announcing the charges. “If a member of the public is asked to pay a bribe, don’t pay it and call the FBI immediately.”
Harrison could not be reached for comment on Thursday and his defense attorney’s information was not immediately available.
Prosecutors brought the case against Harrison in the Northern District of Georgia — where his alleged victim was arrested and charged last summer. The victim, a resident of Atlanta identified in court filings as “Person 1,” was facing prison time if convicted.
Harrison met with the person shortly after their indictment in July 2020, prosecutors said.
He claimed during the meeting that he worked part-time for the Georgia Bureau of Investigations and knew the federal prosecutor in charge of the victim’s case, the government said. Harrison then told this person that he could get the prosecutor to drop the criminal charges if they paid $15,000.
The victim initially refused to pay. But according to court filings, Harrison met with the person again a few days later. This time, he said the evidence was stacked against the victim.
“Harrison threatened that unless Person 1 paid up, the prosecutor in the Federal Case would bring additional criminal charges and also seek a harsher prison sentence for Person 1 after any conviction,” the government said. “Harrison stated that he was not going to keep the money himself, but instead would give it to the prosecutor in the Federal Case.”
By September, the victim had agreed to pay Harrison $12,000 in cash, prosecutors said.
According to court documents, Harrison sent the victim a picture on Sept. 3 showing money in an envelope with a text saying, “Handing this off in a Hr.”
But the extortion didn’t stop there. Prosecutors said Harrison continued to hound the victim for more money to have the case dismissed faster, often referring to the potential dismissal of charges as “the big D.”
“Time is winding down and a SECURED yes on the big D is gonna wrap your case up,” he reportedly said in a February text message.
The victim realized the fraud after meeting with prosecutors in January, the government said. The person entered a guilty plea by early February, all while Harrison continued to promise he could have the charges dropped.
In March, the victim met with Harrison to give him $3,000. The person recorded the meeting as Harrison reportedly “guaranteed a speedy dismissal of the federal case,” prosecutors said.
A grand jury returned the indictment against Harrison on Tuesday, court filings show, and a warrant for his arrest was issued the same day.
This story was originally published August 26, 2021 at 4:39 PM with the headline "Victim blackmailed into paying Georgia prosecutors a ‘bribe,’ feds say. It was a scam."
