SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, April 18, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — Investigators with the Utah Attorney General’s Office arrested a man suspected of “attempting to extort a wealthy Utah businessman.”
Jonathan Howard Robb, 30, was arrested Wednesday and was charged in 3rd District Court on suspicion of attempted theft by extortion, a third-degree felony, a news release from the Attorney General’s Office says.
According to the news release, Robb, claiming to be a former friend, contacted the victim (identified as T.M. in charging documents) in April and threatened to post “unflattering information about T.M. on social media unless he was given $500,000.”
Robb proceeded to post some of the information on his Instagram page, the charging document states.
“T.M. sent private messages to Robb to stop and threatened to contact legal authorities, which Robb refused. The information posted was untrue, but T.M. claimed it could damage his reputation and business,” the news release says.
Investigators with the A.G.’s office arranged a sting operation, with T.M. offering to meet with Robb to turn over $50,000 of the requested money to him.
The charging document states that Robb arrived at the meeting location and was taken into custody, with Robb reportedly saying, “This is what happens when you blackmail a billionaire.”
Robb admitted to the reporting Attorney General’s officer “that he knew the information would damage T.M.’s reputation and that he agreed to accept $500,000 cash to not post the information publicly,” the document states.
Robb was booked into Salt Lake County Jail with his bail set at $25,000.
