Curiosity
Anti-Semitic Elmo Gets One Year in Prison for Extortion
Anti-Semitic Elmo Gets One Year in Prison for Extortion
Well, it really isn’t Elmo that got sentenced to prison. Rather it was 49-year-old Dan Sandler who wore an Elmo costume on Times Square. In the past, he had made anti-Semitic comments while wearing his costume.
This time around, he was extorting the Girl Scouts of America (GSA) for $2 million. Sandler said his protests were based on principle; he accused the organization of being in cahoots with the pharmaceutical industry by engaging in “off-label marketing” which where drugs are used for a purpose other than what was intended.
The Girl Scouts of America never took his harassment as a serious extortion threat in the sense that they would have paid up any money. However, charges were filed and ultimately Sandler was arrested in San Francisco when police found him living out of a car. It is unclear what he intended to do with the money had he received any.
JEFFERSON SIEGEL/FOR NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Sandler, seen here leaving the courthouse during a previous hearing, said he was protesting the organization.
The GSA provided e-mail evidence to the police of his menacing comments and bizarre locutions.
Obviously, Sandler’s behavior does not seem in harmony with that of a mentally stable person, but he was clear and cogent when he appeared in court. He was unrepentant and stood firm that his one year prison sentence was the price he had to pay to act according to his beliefs – whatever they actually are.
On The Web:
Anti-Semitic Times Square Elmo sentenced to one year in prison for $2 million extortion attempt from Girl Scouts
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/anti-semitic-elmo-year-jail-girls-scout-extort-article-1.1480585