A Napier man alone with a computer and nothing better to do than attempt to extort millions of dollars of internet currency bitcoins from major New Zealand companies, has been jailed.
Appearing in Napier District Court today, Gregory David O'Neill, 56, was sentenced to five years and seven months, having previously pleaded guilty to eight charges of blackmail.
It stemmed from what lawyer Eric Forster said was a "fanciful" spate of crime in which O'Neill had little or no intention or means of carrying out his threats if the companies didn't pay-up.
In a rare move, Judge Geoff Rea read to the court one of the letters sent by O'Neill on August 14 last year, but has suppressed any details leading to the identification of the companies, including the nature of their businesses.
The ordered letter of 22 paragraphs and about 400 words used the reference "we" and claimed to be from an unnamed group, recipients being told if there was a need for further communication "we" would include the words "people not profit."