Couple faces federal conspiracy charges for trying to extort Georgia Tech men’s basketball coach

ATLANTA — A man convicted of making false sexual assault claims with his girlfriend against Georgia Tech men’s basketball coach Josh Pastner now faces a federal indictment.

A federal grand jury charged Ron Bell and Jennifer Pendley with conspiracy to transmit a threat interstate, conspiracy to extort property from another and attempted extortion.

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Channel 2 Action News has been following this case involving Bell, a former friend of Pastner’s, and Pendley since 2017.

Bell and Pastner became involved in a public dispute after Bell provided impermissible benefits to two Tech basketball players in violation of NCAA rules. He claimed Pastner encouraged him.

After Pastner filed a defamation lawsuit, Pendley and Bell countersued with accusations that Pastner sexually assaulted Pendley in a Houston hotel room in 2016. Pastner was coaching the Memphis Tigers at the time.

Investigators later determined the assault did not take place and instead discovered an extortion plot.

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Bell allegedly recruited a Georgia Tech security guard to lie about witnessing the assault and promised the guard a share of $20 million he thought they could receive,, according to the indictment.

Bell also allegedly demanded money from Georgia Tech in exchange for not reporting the sexual assault claims. The security guard later admitted to school officials that his statements were not true and Bell asked him to participate in the extortion plot.

“The Federal Bureau of Investigation and our other federal law enforcement partners are especially proficient in exposing false allegations designed to extort money. Individuals who attempt to perpetrate such criminal schemes at the expense of law-abiding citizens will be caught and prosecuted,” U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan said in a release.

An Arizona court convicted and sentenced Bell in 2021 regarding the case and a judge ordered him to pay Pastner’s legal fees and serve three years of probation. The new indictment released on Tuesday involves the federal prosecution.

An NCAA infractions appeals committee vacated multiple sanctions against Tech in February 2021.

Man convicted of making false sexual assault claims against GA Tech basketball coach In 2018, Pastner was involved in a public dispute with Ron Bell over who was responsible for providing various gifts to two Georgia Tech players.

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