Blackmail?

[PAhelpNeeded]

Ok I have a question. I have a friend who was an exotic dancer for years, She had an older gentleman who often paid her to go on trips,pose as his girlfriend,etc. He was very discrete and always concerned about anyone finding out. This was years ago. He would occasionally give her money if she needed it. The last time she saw this gentleman he was innapropriate with her. Nothing illegal,just innapropriate. This was no longer the nature of their relationship. Awhile ago she was very upset and was making comments about telling her family,his family, and others about their relationship. I was afraid she was actually going to follow through on these threats. I wrote an e-mail to this gentleman and told him exactly this:

We have a mutual friend. She has been making comments about telling your family and others about your past relationship. I don't want to see this happen. I think if you would help her with x amount of money that I could probably get her to not do this. I am not personally blackmailing you and she doesn't know about this email. I just want to avoid a mess.
END

It is a small town and this gentleman wouldn't want details of his relationship known as he knows her family and friends. No names were mentioned at all. His,mine,or hers. Is this legally blackmail? Did I unintenionally commit a crime? Is it enforceable if they went to police. I was trying to avoid a mess for a friend but now feel that this may have been a mistake.

 

[CdwJava]

It depends ... how did HE take your proposition? I can certainly see how it might be open to interpretation as extortion. If he did not take it that way, then he will not report it to the police.

Though, he was a fool to have engaged in this relationship in the first place ... and NO ONE will believe that it had always been as "friends". Nothing good can come from these illicit affairs based largely around money and perks.

- Carl

 

[PAhelpNeeded]

He had an attorney call and say it was blackmail. She responded that she didn't write it. She said a concerned friend had wrote it who was afraid that she was going to call his family. The lawyer said it was clearly blackmail. I wrote it. Like I said, I made it clear in the email that she had merely mentioned doing this. I advised him that helping her out financially may get her to not do this. As I said no names were mentioned at all. I never said she would do A if you do B. I knew he would infer whom i was talking about. The attorney kept asking her what she wanted on the phone. She said she wouldn't discuss it. The attorney also asked who wrote the email. She declined to answer. The attorney then said that he advised his client not to talk to her. He also asked her what she wanted. He insinuated that the gentleman was willing to help her but that she had done something wrong. She was afraid to mention a number on the phone because she was afraid it might be being taped. Can an attorney tape a conversation like that without informing the other person on the phone? He ended the conversation by saying they weren't going to do anything at this point. The attorney is a friend of his. I believe they were just bluffing. Do they have a case? Should she give him a number? Also he didn't even attempt to clarify the relationship as merely a friendship. He knows others know of the nature of the relationship.

 

[CdwJava]

If she asks for money in order to avoid blabbing about their affair, that can be extortion (aka "blackmail"). Whether the attorney can tape the call or not depends on the laws in your state. Some states are single party states where only ONE party needs to know the call is being recorded.

Taken in totality, this looks very much like a blackmail scheme to me. Both you and the girl had best just leave it all be and drop the entire matter unless you both want to risk trial for felonies.

- Carl

 

[PAhelpNeeded]

I agree that it does look like a scheme from the outside and is best dropped. One thing I forgot to include in the email I sent was that in her opinion she felt he took advantage of her when she was unstable. I said that if he didn't feel responsible then he shouldn't offer her anything. I said if you don't feel responsible then consider this a courtesy that you should tell your family /friends first. I think that makes it less threatening. Thank you for your advice. I should have never gotten in the middle of this.