A former Upstate New York police officer and another woman have been arrested for allegedly extorting a small business owner out of thousands of dollars, New York authorities said Tuesday.
The two Montgomery, N.Y. women — 32-year-old Ally Thueson and 33-year-old Elizabeth Sloanhoffer — are accused of taking $9,000 from Thueson’s employer after threatening to make false statements about the cosmetology business unless the owner gave them money.
The duo threatened to share the fabricated comments on social media platforms, the Orange County District Attorney’s office said in a news release, adding the false statements “would materially harm the victim’s business.”
According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, the threats included “intentions to slander the small business owner on social media platforms, report alleged violations to the NYS Board of Cosmetology, and file complaints with the Department of Labor for alleged employment violations.”
Thueson joined the Orange County Sheriff’s Office in March 2016. She more recently worked as a police officer in the Town of Woodbury until she resigned in 2021, Woodbury Police Chief Kevin Watson told News12 Westchester.
In July 2022 she spoke about becoming a nominee for the 2022 Maxim Magazine Cover Girl contest in the “Off Duty” podcast, hosted by retired Michigan police officer Anthony McNeil.
In the episode, titled “I Thrive in Chaos,”, Thueson told McNeil she decided to step out of her comfort zone and apply to become a Maxim cover girl because of her insecurities.
According to the district attorney’s office, both women acted individually and in concert with one another to extort $9,000 from Thueson’s employer.
They were arrested by the Orange County White Collar Crime Task Force and charged with grand larceny and coercion.
“Small business owners deserve to operate free of coercive threats of reputational harm,” District Attorney David M. Hoovler said in a statement. “These alleged criminal acts are the exact types of crimes that often go unreported and are uncovered by the hard work of the Task Force,” a multi-agency effort created in March 2023 to enhance the investigation and prosecution of public corruption and financial crimes.
Both women have since been released and are expected to return to the Village of Montgomery court on June 26.
Tyler Fields is your internet guru, delving into the latest trends, developments, and issues shaping the online world. With a focus on internet culture, cybersecurity, and emerging technologies, Tyler keeps readers informed about the dynamic landscape of the internet and its impact on our digital lives.
