Two Oro Valley residents have pleaded guilty to federal charges of conspiracy to commit extortion against former ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats basketball player Josh Pastner and Georgia Tech University, officials said Wednesday.
The guilty plea is the latest in a years-long legal battle between ex-friends Ronald Bell, 56, and Pastner, who’s now the head coach of Georgia Tech men’s basketball team.
Bell and his ex-fiancée Jennifer Pendley were indicted Aug. 24 on charges of conspiracy to transmit a threat interstate, conspiracy to extort property and attempted extortion.
Bell pleaded guilty Wednesday to one count of conspiracy to commit extortion and Pendley entered a guilty plea to the same charge on Feb. 22, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Georgia.
“The defendant tried to extort Georgia Tech and egregiously tarnish the reputation of the university’s coach with a false claim of sexual assault,†U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan said in the release. “By his guilty plea he acknowledged the lie and his criminal conduct, and will now face the consequences for his crime.â€
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Bell’s sentencing is scheduled for June 8 at 11 a.m. before U.S. District Judge Thomas W. Thrash. He’s facing up to five years in prison and $250,000 in fines, according to court documents.
Between October 2017 and February 2018, Bell and Pendley conspired against and attempted to extort Georgia Tech and Pastner, according to the indictment in the case.
The Star previously reported that in January 2018, Pastner filed a lawsuit against Bell and Pendley in Pima County Superior Court, saying the couple defamed him after months of failed attempts at blackmail and extortion. Bell and Pendley countersued Pastner, claiming in their lawsuit that the coach forced Pendley to perform a sex act in a Houston hotel room in February 2016 and groped her on several other occasions. She did not contact local police at the time but reported her allegation to Oro Valley police in May 2019.
Pastner was never charged with a crime. An independent investigation paid for by Georgia Tech in 2018 was the first to clear him of the sexual misconduct allegations. The couple’s claims were further cast into doubt when a key witness in their lawsuit against Pastner recanted.
Bell also demanded money from Georgia Tech in exchange for not reporting the claimed sexual assault, according to the news release.
He texted a representative that, “This is going to get very ugly. GT has made no effort ... to amicably resolve this ... I guess this has to get ugly. I tried to resolve this without damaging GT’s reputation,†according to the news release.
In July 2021, an Oro Valley judge found Bell guilty of six misdemeanor charges in connection with the allegations against Pastner. He was found guilty of two counts each of solicitation of influencing a witness and attempted tampering with a witness. He was also convicted of false information and facilitation of fraud, schemes and practice. Bell is appealing those convictions.
Pastner settled his lawsuit against the couple in August 2019.
“Once again, greed does not pay,†Keri Farley, special agent in charge of FBI in Atlanta, said in the news release. “These defendants sought to damage the reputations of the institution and coach for their own financial gain. The FBI will not stop in bringing people who try and commit this type of fraud to justice.â€
