A Florida man tried to blackmail a Chevrolet dealership owned by a former mayor of Daytona Beach after he found boxes full of its old customer sales records, including Social Security numbers and other personal information, authorities said last week.
He told the store that he'd publicize its failure to safeguard the records unless it gave him $50,000 — and a new Chevy Malibu, according to authorities.
Instead, Jon Hall Chevrolet called the Volusia County Sheriff's Office, which had undercover deputies arrange a meeting with the would-be extortionist. They arrested him when he showed up to seal the deal.
In its report, the Sheriff's Office said Christian Mosco defended his actions by saying he "was not trying to be greedy and could have asked for more money, but chose a reasonable amount and a 2019 Chevy Malibu, which was his wife's favorite car," Orlando TV station WESH reported.
But instead of a new ride for his wife, Sheriff Michael Chitwood told the station, "He got to ride in the back of our paddy wagon, which I think is a 2006 Ford van."
The dealership's website listed 70 Malibus from the 2019 model year in inventory last week, priced at $16,990 to $26,875.
