A New York man is facing charges of cyberstalking and attempting to extort money from Escambia Clerk of Court Pam Childers by threatening her with “violence, fear of injury, and fire,” raising questions about his connection to Childers and Northwest Florida.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office press release offered few details on the case except to say 35-year-old Justin J. Wright of Bay Shore, New York, was indicted in federal court on charges related to alleged criminal acts he’s accused of committing leading up to June 1, 2024.
Wright’s arrest comes more than a year after the FBI began investigating an arson incident that happened near Childers’ Cordova Park home on June 1, 2024, that destroyed a neighbor’s car.
Here’s what we know about the New York man named in the federal indictment.
Where does Justin Wright live in New York?
Wright is from Bay Shore, New York, a community located on Long Island, within the town of Islip, in Suffolk County.
He appears to have grown up there and graduated from high school. He also attended college, but it’s not clear if he graduated.
According to the New York State Division of Corporations, Justin James Wright of Bay Shore launched a business, Justin’s Treasury Funds LLC, in 2021. Its status is listed as “active,” but the statement status is “past due” as of 2023.
There’s no information on what services the company provides.
Does Wright have a criminal record in New York?
According to the New York State Unified Court System website, Wright was arrested by New York City Police on July 3 for an incident that happened on June 29.
Details of his arrest were not immediately available, but he faces nine different charges in New York Supreme Criminal Court.
The “top charge” is one count of robbery in the first degree with use of a dangerous instrument, the most serious category of robbery according to New York law because it involves being armed or using or displaying a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument or seriously hurting someone not involved in the crime.
Other charges listed include second-degree robbery causing physical injury, assault while confined in a correctional facility, third-degree robbery, grand larceny and criminal possession of a weapon.
He was arraigned on the charges on July 29 and pleaded not guilty to all of them.
The court also issued a Temporary Order of Protection in his case. In New York, a Temporary Order of Protection for a criminal defendant requires them to comply with specific behavioral conditions set by a judge, such as avoiding contact with the protected person or staying away from their home or job.
Wright’s next court date is scheduled for Oct. 14 in New York.
Where is Wright in custody?
There is no word on where Wright is currently being held, but according to the New York City Department of Corrections website, Wright was released into the custody of U.S. Marshals on Aug. 11.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office requested that Wright be transported from Rikers Island, a jail complex in New York, to Pensacola to appear for his arraignment.
What charges does Wright face in Florida?
According to federal court documents, Wright is charged with three felony counts: cyberstalking, attempted interstate extortion of a public official, and use of fire to commit a federal felony offense.
Prosecutors say on or about March 1, 2024, and on or about June 1, 2024, Wright utilized interstate travel with the “intent to kill, injure, harass, and intimidate” Childers and engage in conduct that placed her and her family “in reasonable fear of death and serious bodily injury.”
According to the indictment, Wright also knowingly attempted to “obstruct, delay and affect commerce…by extortion, and commit and threaten physical violence to a person and a property in furtherance of a plan and purpose to commit such extortion” by knowingly attempting to take U.S. currency and funds “from the control of the Clerk” against her will and by means of “actual and threatened force, violence, and fear of injury.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said in the third count against Wright that on or about June 1, he “knowingly used fire to commit stalking” and interfere with commerce by threats and violence.
Is anyone else named in the indictment?
Few details of the alleged acts are given because the affidavit and arrest warrant in Wright’s case were sealed by the judge at the request of the prosecution.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office filed a motion saying the details underlying the case need to stay under wraps to protect the interest of the “long-term investigation into violent offenses” and the safety of those involved because “the main subject of the investigation is not yet in custody.”
When is Wright’s next court appearance?
Wright is scheduled to be arraigned on Sept. 9, 2025, at 1:30 p.m. before Magistrate Judge Zachary C. Bolitho at the federal courthouse in downtown Pensacola.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Violence, fear of injury and fire: What we know about man accused of Pam Childers threat
Reporting by Mollye Barrows, Pensacola News Journal / Pensacola News Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
