Man Pleads Guilty in Extortion Plot Against Ralphs Markets
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A Venice man pleaded guilty Tuesday to trying to extort $180,000 from the Ralphs supermarket chain by threatening to place contaminated baby food on store shelves.
In exchange for his guilty plea, federal prosecutors agreed to recommend that David Ian Dickinson, a 43-year-old British citizen, be sentenced to 41 to 51 months in prison. He had faced a possible 25-year sentence.
Dickinson was arrested in March after sending a package to Ralphs headquarters that contained horseradish contaminated with boric acid, baby food containing glass shards and an infant juice drink laced with hydraulic fluid.
A subsequent letter demanded $180,000.
Authorities said there was no evidence that any contaminated products were placed on store shelves.
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