Florida lawyer arrested for trying to extort Ex-NFL players charged in armed robbery case

On November 16, prosecutors in South Florida reported that they were dropping criminal robbery charges against former New York Giants cornerback DeAndre Baker after authorities learned that South Florida lawyer, William Dean, was arrested on extortion charges – charged that accuse the attorney for trying to extort Baker.  All charges against Baker have been dropped. Charges were also dropped against Seattle Seahawks cornerback Quinton Dunbar, who was also embroiled in that same alleged armed robbery.

See our original story: 
Deandre Baker and Quinton Dunbar: NFL players wanted for Florida armed robbery

William Dean, 50, a lawyer from North Miami Beach who was representing three of Baker’s alleged victims in that armed robbery case, was arrested after authorities discovered he was extorting Baker who was one of two primary suspects in that Miramar, Florida, armed robbery case.

Baker and Dunbar were at a cookout at a home in the Miami area on a Wednesday night in May, 2020, playing cards and video games, when an argument started. Baker then allegedly “whipped out a semi-automatic firearm.”  Baker allegedly directed two other individuals, one of them Dunbar, to then start robbing the guests.

They allegedly took thousands of dollars in cash, several watches and other valuables from individuals at the party and threatened to shoot people before leaving the house.  ~ TMZ

Members of the Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO) Public Corruption Unit began investigating Dean back in August after information emerged that Dean was attempting to extort suspect Deandre Baker. Dean represents three of Baker’s alleged victims. 

According to investigators, Dean wanted Baker to pay each of his clients more than $266,000, and, in exchange, the victims in the case would either stop cooperating with prosecutors in the criminal case or change their initial sworn statements to police, thereby weakening the case against Baker. Evidence in the case reveals that Dean told Baker’s attorney that his clients would do “anything you want, so long as the money is right.”

BSO’s Public Corruption Unit deputies, along with the U.S. Marshals Florida/Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force, arrested Dean on Monday morning in North Miami Beach. 

Before the charges were dropped against them, Baker and Dunbar were both facing four counts of armed robbery with a firearm.  Baker was looking at an additional four counts of aggravated assault with a firearm, according to MSN.

For more on the story, see the video accompanying this article.

(Source: Broward Sheriff’s Office)

Written by: Richard Webster, Ace News Today   /   Follow Richard on Facebook and Twitter