EXTORTION SENTENCE

  

A Louisiana man has been sentenced to one year in prison for an extortion scheme that authorities believe led to the suicide of a Texas A&M University professor.

Daniel Timothy Duplaisir of Metairie, La. plead guilty earlier to interstate transmission of extortionate communication.

Authorities say Duplaisir lured A&M Communications professor James Arnt Aune into a sexually explicit online relationship by pretending to be an underage girl. Later, Duplaisir pretended to be the girl's outraged father, and demanded money to keep the relationship secret.

Aune paid part of the extortion demant, but then jumped to his death from a campus building in January.

Court records show text messages between Duplaisir and the 59-year-old Aune indicate the threats to publicize the relationship contributed to Aune's decision to commit suicide.