William Dean, the attorney representing three of the four men who were allegedly robbed by former New York Giants cornerback DeAndre Baker at gunpoint in Florida earlier this year, has been arrested on extortion chargers.
Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post reports that investigators took Dean into custody for attempting to extort Baker to the tune of $800,000 in exchange for legal cooperation including, but not limited to, softening their allegations.
The attorney for three of the four men former Giants cornerback DeAndre Baker allegedly robbed was arrested Monday morning in conjunction with an alleged extortion attempt.
Dean and his clients demanded $1.5 million from Baker and negotiated the number down to $800,000 in order to change their statements, but no money ever changed hands, a source with knowledge of the situation told The Post. The Sheriff’s Office declined further comment during an ongoing investigation, but the source says they were involved in the set-up from the beginning.
Following Dean’s arrest, the Broward State Attorney’s Office announced that it is dropping all charges against Baker.
“On Monday morning, November 16, 2020, William Dean, an attorney representing three of the alleged victims, was arrested for extortion related to soliciting a cash payout on behalf of the three men in exchange for altered testimony. This testimony was provided in the form of written, signed, notarized but identical in content affidavits in which the alleged victims recanted their three previous sworn statements and instead asserted that they did not get an accurate look at the events as they occurred, that Deandre Baker was present but not involved in any criminal act and that they were not robbed or assaulted,” the state said in a release.
“Therefore, the State of Florida will announce a nolle prosequi of all charges against Deandre L. Baker.”
The 23-year-old Baker had been facing four counts of robbery with a firearm which carried a minimum of 10 years in prison if convicted.
Baker, who was released by the Giants in September, still faces potential league discipline under the personal conduct policy. He remains a free agent.
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