For almost two years, a pair of Mission seniors feared for their lives.
With threats of gang violence against their family, 69-year-old Judy Lehmann and her 79-year-old husband Bernie paid roughly $300,000 to avoid the potential repercussions.
But after bringing the problem to Mission RCMP, the couple discovered they were conned by a family friend.
“It was awful. Just awful,” Judy said.
Tyler James Willard pleaded guilty to criminal extortion charges in connection to the scam and was sentenced to nine months of house arrest in December. The house arrest is followed by approximately 15 months of probation and $260,000 in restitution to the victims.
Willard was a childhood friend of one of Lehmann’s close family members, who requested anonymity.
“I loved him. He was [like] a nephew. We took him on holidays with us,” Judy said.
The Lehmanns own a business in Silverdale, which they suspect made them a target for Willard.
“He wanted to live the lifestyle,” Bernie said.
The long-running extortion began In late 2019 when Willard targeted his childhood friend.
The Lehmann family member was told he was one of the final phone calls for an Abbotsford man who died of an overdose supposedly owing $60,000 to a gang.
Willard, who feigned gang connections, told his friend that recent contacts on the overdose victim’s phone were culpable for the debt.
“It was very, very believable. And the mindset to come up with a story like he did ... it was just awful,” Judy said.
She went on to say: “Whatever money [our family member] had, he gave to Tyler. And then Tyler [would say] the gang now needs X number of dollars. We got home from a holiday and [the family member] said if we do not pay, our lives were going to be in jeopardy,” Judy said.
She said this was just the beginning.
In addition to Willard, Judy says an extra man posing as a gang member threatened over the phone that “something dire” would happen if they didn’t pay. Calls from Willard requesting money became a frequent occurrence for the Lehmanns.
“We would get a phone call on a Friday [saying] ‘I need $10,000 by Sunday’. And I would go into our bank account, take the money and it just went on and on and on,” Judy said.
For the first year, Judy avoided telling her husband to protect him.
“It almost broke our marriage,” she said.
The looming threat of violence terrified the Lehmanns. They locked the doors, covered windows with black curtains, and Bernie kept a bedside bat.
“We were living under curfew, basically. I have never been as scared in my life,” Judy said.
A request from Willard for $30,000 with a quick turnaround was enough for Judy to go to the police.
Previous threats implied the “gang” had connections in the RCMP. However, Judy contacted a friend whose daughter is a Mountie. She told the Lehmanns she “would bet her life” it was safe to take the problem to Mission RCMP.
The local detachment told the Lehmanns the gang in question wouldn’t go after seniors unless they were owed money.
“It didn’t stop until we finally went to the police. And then we find out that ultimately it was just a con job. And it was a good con job because it scared the shit out of both of us,” Bernie said.
The Lehmanns don’t expect to receive the court-ordered $260,000 in restitution from Willard.
“How do you go after them? You have to continuously chase them for a few bucks here and there? It becomes more grief after a while than it’s worth,” Bernie said.
Since the money was taken from their business to pay Willard, the Lehmanns also had to declare it as income. In addition to the approximate $300,000 lost in the extortion, the Lehmanns are facing a $94,000 bill from the CRA and a reduction to their old-age pension.
They are planning to appeal the charge with the CRA.
However, with Willard sentenced, Judy said she is ready to move on.
She and Bernie praised Mission RCMP, victim services, and Crown counsel Jim Barbour for their handling of the case while advising others who have been extorted or scammed to contact police.
“Don’t be scared. Go and see your local police … they're the people who are there to help you,” Judy said.
