Guilty Verdict In Gates Extortion

An Illinois man who said he sent death threats to Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates to get material for a novel was convicted Tuesday of trying to extort $5 million from the world's richest man.

A five-man, seven-woman U.S. District Court jury deliberated barely four hours before convicting Adam Quinn Pletcher, 22, of four counts of sending threatening mail with intent to commit extortion.

He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine per count.

Pletcher's pregnant fiancee, Kathryn Steele, wailed as he was led out of the courtroom in handcuffs. He had been free pending the resolution of his trial.

"No, please no," Steele sobbed. "I'm going to have this baby. No, please."

In closing arguments, Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Redkey said Pletcher's four menacing letters to Gates, research on offshore banks that offer secret accounts, enticing and encrypted pictures on the Internet and deleted computer files left no doubt about his purpose.

"The evidence of guilt in this case is overwhelming," Redkey said. "This is the plan of a man who intends to take the money and keep it."

A thin, clean-cut high school graduate who never went to college, Pletcher testified Tuesday that the letters to Gates were to be the basis for a novel inspired by the Sylvester Stallone movie, Assassins.

"What I am offering you is simple," the first letter said. "Your life for $5 million."

Pletcher portrayed himself in the letter as a 34-year-old former Army Ranger who had killed 38 people as a private assassin and had a 100 percent kill rate.

Later letters threatened harm to Gates' wife, Melinda; their daughter, Jennifer, and Microsoft head sales and marketing executive Steve Ballmer, and upped the ante to more than $5.2 million.

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