Former Republican Senate Hopeful Arrested in Ethnic-based Extortion Case

[Nevilledog]

https://www.aspendailynews.com/news/former-republican-senate-hopeful-arrested-in-ethnic-based-extortion-case/article_691d8e4c-9cc9-11eb-b11a-d7422c34a87f.html

Former Republican U.S. Senate hopeful Mark Aspiri was arrested by Glenwood Springs police and charged with criminal extortion — a class 4 felony — and misdemeanor ethnic intimidation harassment and theft.

According to a Glenwood Springs Police Department press release issued Tuesday, Aspiri — who ran an unsuccessful campaign for the Republican nomination to oppose then-Sen. Mark Udall in 2014 — allegedly randomly selected a victim for his scheme to harass, threaten and extort $1,200 from a Latino man.

Aspiri allegedly told the victim the money was owed to a third party — but could provide little to no information in the way of why the money was owed or to whom, exactly. The victim terminated the call and, after receiving several additional calls from Aspiri, blocked the phone number.

But then Aspiri began calling from different numbers, and his “associates,” as the press release described them, did, too.

“After receiving numerous threatening calls, the victim became very scared. Mr. Aspiri told him that he knew the victim, ‘was here illegally.’ He made several other similar statements threatening to have the victim deported. He demanded payment that day as the next day would be too late,” the release details. “The victim told Mr. Aspiri that he was afraid of him and asked him to stop calling and making the threats. Friends of the victim told the victim that Mr. Aspiri is very powerful and influential, and he should just pay him.”

*snip*

[LizBeth]

1. Unless he did this often, what is 1200 gonna do for anyone?