A 35-year-old Lebanon man was sentenced to 18 months in prison after his conviction for extortion by interstate communication.
U.S. District Court Judge Sylvia H. Rambo ordered the sentence, according to an April 30 release from the office of U.S. Attorney Gerard M. Karam for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.
According to Karam, John Anthony Zayas pleaded guilty to the offense, which involved his efforts in the fall of 2022 to coerce a victim to pay him $150,000. Zayas threatened to publicize “intimate photos and images of the victim if they did not comply,” the release said.
In a sentencing memorandum, Zayas asked Rambo to sentence him to house arrest in lieu of prison, but the judge rejected his request and ordered Zayas to report to prison in June to begin serving his sentence.
Rambo also ordered Zayas to pay $850 in fines and assessments and to serve one year of supervised release after he completes his prison sentence, the release said. The case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christian T. Haugsby.
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