LOUISVILLE, Ky. (October 24, 2013) – A Jackson, Mississippi man was charged by a federal grand jury meeting in Louisville, Kentucky, on October 16, 2013, with a single count of extortion, by means of a threatening communication, announced David J. Hale, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky. The federal indictment was unsealed Thursday, following the arrest that morning, of Thomas E. Ray, age 35, in Mississippi, by the U.S. Marshal Service.
According to the indictment, Ray, using the alias “Melinda White,” knowingly sent an email communication from his home in Jackson, Miss., to the commonwealth of Kentucky, on April 23, 2013 with the intent to extort $3.5 million from an association and corporation, by threatening to injure the reputation of the University of Louisville Athletic Association.
If convicted, Ray faces no more than two years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000 and a one year period of supervised release. His initial appearance on the charge was held today, in U.S. District Court located at 501 E. Court St., Jackson, Miss., in the Southern District of Mississippi. Ray posted a $10,000 bond and was ordered to appear in Louisville District Court on November 7, 2013 at 11:00 am.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney A. Spencer McKiness and is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Office of the Kentucky Attorney General.
The indictment of a person by a grand jury is an accusation only and that person is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Add Comment