CHICAGO — A Kentucky man is accused of collecting $91,000 by harassing and threatening a local man over the course of several months, authorities said.
Among the accusations against John A. Holliman, 29, of the 600 block of Smugglers Notch Drive in Lexington, Ky., is that he sent hearses and ambulances to the 52-year-old victim's home, threatening to "collect the dead body of the victim's wife," said Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Erin Antonietti.
Holliman also is accused of phoning a bomb threat to a large skyscraper in the 200 block of South Wacker Drive on June 25, police said.
The victim is believed to have worked in the building, and that threat resulted in the evacuation of two floors in the building.
Holliman was arrested Thursday while he was collecting $8,000 from the 52-year-old victim's lawyer as police watched, Antonietti said.
Between May 31, 2012, and Thursday, Holliman collected $91,000 from the victim by threatening to "expose the relationship between the two of them," Antonietti said.
Holliman also demanded money from the family, "thereby placing them in fear for their safety," police said.
Holliman has been charged with three felonies: theft, disorderly conduct and stalking.
Before Holliman was ordered held on $250,000 bond Friday, Antonietti called the case "in essence, extortion."
Holliman has a criminal record in New York, New Jersey, Kentucky and Georgia, Antonietti said.
