2 Baltimore County Men Face Federal Extortion Charges

BALTIMORE, MD — Prosecutors allege two men extorted a Baltimore County restaurateur to get him to pay back a loan. The Randallstown man and Timonium man are accused of making death threats from 2018 to 2019 and even committing arson at the businessman's home to scare him into paying.

Clement Robert Mercaldo Jr., 61, of Timonium gave the business owner an "interest-only" loan to open a restaurant in June 2008, which the man paid off through monthly installments by 2011.

When he took out additional loans from Mercaldo, the Timonium man began to require weekly cash payments.

Investigators said the victim reduced his monthly payments in March 2017 and February 2019 due to outstanding debt.

Mercaldo enlisted Stepfen Gerard Gaither, 29, of Randallstown to help get him to pay, and Gaither set fire to the victim's home in Baltimore County on Aug. 2, 2019, according to the affidavit in support of the criminal complaint against the two men.

The fire caused $50,000 in damage, and the victim and his wife had to move out of their home, according to the affidavit.

Here are some of the incidents detailed in court filings:

Vandalism (March 29, 2019): The restaurant owner's car was vandalized while parked in front of his house overnight between 9:45 p.m. and 6 a.m. The culprit used a garden statue to break the back window and smashed the front windshield.

Arson (Aug. 4, 2019): Someone broke the basement window at the victim's home, poured liquid inside and ignited it, sparking a fire that set off smoke detectors in his home, waking the restaurant owner and his wife at 2:52 a.m. The fire spread from the basement to the first floor. Nobody was injured, but there was $50,000 in damage, and the couple had to move.

Threatening messages (March to September 2019): Using various applications, Mercaldo and Gaither sent threatening messages to the victim and his business partner, according to the affidavit. In some, they referenced the fire and threatened further harm to the victim's family should he not pay his debt. Gaither sent a text message to the victim that said: "A fire wasn't good enough ... I'll record you dying slow and send it to you kids on Facebook," according to the court filing.

Murder-for-hire plot (October 2019 to January 2020): The affidavit details text messages exchanged between Mercado and Gaither, including evidence that Gaither was conducting surveillance on the victim to carry out the plan.

Mercaldo and Gaither appeared in federal court Wednesday in Baltimore and are scheduled to appear for detention hearings at 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., respectively, on Friday.

They face 20 years in prison for credit by extortionate means and interstate communications with intent to extort. However, prosecutors said the actual sentences are usually less than the maximum penalty.