Married Man Extorted for Furniture, Cash After Sexual Tryst

A Springfield, Mass., man could face up to 16 years in prison for trying to harass and extort a married Salem man whom he blackmailed following a sexual encounter the two shared after allegedly meeting on Craigslist.

William Gray, 48, was indicted in Rockingham Superior Court this month on one Class A felony count of attempted theft by extortion a Class A misdemeanor count of harassment. The attempted theft charge carries a penalty of between 7 1/2 and 15 years in prison, while the harassment charge carries a maximum penalty of 12 months in jail and a $2,000 fine, according to the indictments.

Gray allegedly threatened on April 17 to reveal the affair to the Salem man's wife unless the man paid him $2,600 using a reloadable credit card, according to the indictments. The indictments also state that Gray made "hang-up telephone calls" on April 12 and 17 to the man's home and cell phones, allegedly to "annoy, alarm or threaten" the man. 
  
The Union Leader has reported that after the sexual encounter, Gray — arrested in Salem on May 9 after police monitored two phone calls made by Gray to the man — allegedly forced the victim to pay $3,000 for furniture at a Bob's Furniture store.

The men allegedly met at a Friendly's restaurant before their sexual encounter, according to the Union Leader, which also reported that Gray will be arraigned on the charges in Rockingham Superior Court later this month.

An indictment is not an indication of guilt or conviction; rather, it means a grand jury believed there was sufficient evidence to warrant a trial.