LOCAL : 2 Convicted in Extortion Scam

A San Fernando Superior Court judge today found two former aerospace technicians guilty in a bizarre 1988 extortion scheme in which “pay-or-die letters” demanding millions of dollars were mailed to hundreds of prominent Antelope Valley residents.

Richard Faroni, 27, and Roman Makuch, 28, described in testimony as bright, eccentric loners obsessed with surveillance, guns and cloak-and-dagger schemes, face up to eight years in state prison for conspiracy and attempted extortion.

Judge Ronald S. Coen, who heard the case without a jury at the request of defense attorneys, set a Feb. 21 sentencing date.

During the 18-day trial the defendants steadfastly denied they collected information about Lancaster business people, professionals and political leaders and sent about 270 extortion letters threatening the recipients with death. No money was ever collected, and the defendants were arrested on Thanksgiving Day, 1988, in Las Vegas after a tip.

Although there was no physical evidence to link Makuch and Faroni directly to the crime, Coen indicated in announcing the verdict that the lack of credibility of the defendants and contradictions between their testimony and that of other witnesses were key factors in his decision.