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The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
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Two Men Threaten to Accuse Catholic Priest, Extort Him: Prosecutors

By Erin Meyer | November 11, 2013 6:00pm
 Markquis (L.) and Dandrea Little are charged with attempted robbery after they allegedly tried to extort a Catholic priest by threatening to accuse him of impropriety, prosecutors said.
Markquis (L.) and Dandrea Little are charged with attempted robbery after they allegedly tried to extort a Catholic priest by threatening to accuse him of impropriety, prosecutors said.
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Chicago Police Department

COOK COUNTY CRIMINAL COURTHOUSE — A man prosecutors say extorted a South Side priest by threatening to "accuse him of impropriety" walked into the priest's office, poked him in the forehead and demanded money.

It was one of the most recent threats by two men against a 73-year-old priest from St. Michael Archangel Church, 1938 W. 48th St., in what officials described as a campaign of intimidation that spanned a long period. 

Dandrea Little, 22, accosted the priest on Wednesday in front of other parishioners and demanded that he give him money, Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Maura White said. The priest refused, but later encountered Little again as he was leaving the church center. Little was outside, "walking back and forth."

He and Markquis Little, 20, who are related, were charged with attempted robbery, stalking and   intimidation after following the priest to and from the Back of the Yards church on multiple occasions, throwing rocks through the windows of his home and threatening "hurt him" while demanding money, White said.

On Thursday, Markquis Little — known to the priest because he participated in the church's basketball program — approached the priest in the sacristy after Mass and demanded money, White said. When the priest said he didn't have any money, Markquis Little "not only threatened to physically harm [the victim], but also threatened to report [him] to police and accuse him of impropriety."

An attorney from the office of the Cook County Public Defender said Monday during a brief court hearing that Dandrea and Markquis Little vehemently deny the allegations against them.

Supporters of the two men who attended the hearing declined to comment after a Cook County judge ordered them held on $500,000 bail.