Man gets prison for trying to extort former OSU football star

AKRON, Ohio (AP) — A man convicted of trying to extort money from former Ohio State University and NFL player Christopher “Beanie” Wells has been sentenced to nearly 10 years in federal prison.

Franklin Conley, 28, was sentenced Monday after a jury in Akron convicted him earlier this year of extortion-related charges.

A message left with Conley’s attorney wasn’t immediately returned today.

Prosecutors say Conley and 29-year-old Patrick Griffin threatened to kill Wells and his family if they didn’t pay at least $65,000 or introduce the men to a drug supplier. The men claimed they’d previously paid Wells and his brother to set up a drug deal. Wells denied that allegation at Conley’s trial.

Griffin, a quadriplegic, pleaded guilty to similar charges and was sentenced to a year of house arrest in August.