Guilty Plea in Extortion Attempt
Stefan Alexandru Barabas, the last of three masked men involved in a failed 2007 extortion attempt, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to interfere with commerce by extortion. Barabas, a 38-year-old Romanian citizen, was on the run for nearly 15 years before his arrest in Hungary in 2022. Federal prosecutors announced his guilty plea last week.
Sentencing and Previous Convictions
Barabas is scheduled to be sentenced on September 11 and faces a potential prison term of six to seven years, pending court acceptance of the plea agreement. Three additional men involved in the case have already been convicted, including the two other masked intruders.
Details of the Home Invasion
The home invasion targeted millionaire philanthropist Anne Hendricks Bass and abstract artist Julian Lethbridge in their South Kent, Connecticut home. Barabas and the other intruders, armed with fake guns, bound and blindfolded Bass and Lethbridge. They then injected the victims with a substance they claimed was a deadly virus, demanding $8.5 million to provide the antidote.
Failed Extortion and Escape
When it became clear that Bass and Lethbridge could not meet their demands, the intruders drugged the couple with a sleeping aid and fled in Bass’ Jeep Cherokee. The SUV was discovered abandoned at a Home Depot in New Rochelle, New York, the following morning.
Evidence and Arrests
Days after the attack, an accordion case containing a stun gun, a 12-inch knife, a black plastic replica gun, a crowbar, syringes, sleeping pills, latex gloves, and a laminated telephone card with the South Kent address was found washed ashore in Jamaica Bay, New York. This evidence, along with a partial Pennsylvania license plate seen by a witness near Bass’ estate, ultimately led to the identification and arrest of the intruders.
