Madison man whose arrest sparked night of violence in capital city is charged with extortion by feds
U.S. Attorney Scott Blader filed the charges against Devonere Johnson, alleging he threatened to bash windows of downtown businesses unless employees gave him money.
Blader also alleges Johnson, 28, threatened to “shut down and destroy” another business unless Johnson and his friends were provided free food and drinks.
Ultimately, Johnson allegedly told the owner “give me money or we’ll break windows,” according to the criminal complaint.
“You don’t want 600 people to come here and destroy your business and burn it down. The cops are on our side,” according to the complaint, which included interviews with the bar owner about what Johnson allegedly said. “You notice that when you call them, nothing happens to us.”
Blader said Johnson sought to extort the business owners by taking advantage of protests and unrest following the death of George Floyd.
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