Philadelphia Man Sentenced to Five Years for Blackmailing Burlington County Man Who Answered Homosexual Sex Ad

A Philadelphia man has been sentenced to five years in New Jersey state prison after he previously pleaded guilty to blackmailing a New Jersey man who responded to his Craigslist advertisement soliciting homosexual sex, Acting New Jersey Attorney General John J. Hoffman announced on Friday.

Steven J. Beisher, 43, previously pleaded guilty to second-degree theft by extortion for blackmailing a Burlington County man for $1,950.

He must also pay restitution to the victim.

“This was an old-fashioned case of blackmail that occurred in the modern context of personal ads and sexual solicitation on the Internet,” Hoffman said. “There are all types of predators who lurk in the shadows of the Internet. When individuals like Beisher commit serious crimes, we stand ready to investigate them, prosecute them and send them to prison.”

“Our computer crimes unit handles a wide range of cases, from child predators, to major Internet-based financial fraud, to bottom-feeding crooks like Beisher,” Director Elie Honig of the Division of Criminal Justice said. “Our attorneys and detectives, and our partners in the State Police, are trained and equipped to handle the most sophisticated online and technology-based cases.”

An investigation conducted by the New Jersey State Police determined that Beisher posted a personal ad on Craigslist soliciting homosexual sex. The victim responded to the ad and sent Beisher a nude photo of himself. After finding the victim’s address and phone number, Beisher called the victim’s home and threatened to expose him to his wife and family unless the victim gave him money.

He repeatedly called the victim and demanded him to meet him at multiple locations in Philadelphia for payment. They met seven times in nine days, and each time the victim gave Beisher between $200 and $400. The victim gave him a total of $1,950 before he refused to meet him again and reported him to New Jersey State Police.

Beisher has eight prior felony convictions in Pennsylvania, including five burglary convictions and two convictions for receiving stolen property. He was most recently convicted of theft by extortion in Pennsylvania in 2012.