Va. woman sentenced in pastor extortion plot

HANOVER, Va. (AP) — A woman will spend three years in prison for an extortion plot that targeted a Hanover County youth pastor.

Thirty-four-year-old Tonya Farnsworth had pleaded guilty last October to threat to extort money.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch (http://bit.ly/1g7ZaXH ) reports that Farnsworth was sentenced Tuesday to 10 years in prison. Hanover County Circuit Court Judge J. Overton Harris suspended seven years of the sentence.

Prosecutors say Chris Allen Phillips paid Farnsworth $200 for oral sex after he answered an online ad for her services.

Prosecutors say Phillips gave more than $176,000 to Farnsworth over a three-month period. He pleaded guilty last November to embezzling more than $87,000 from Mechanics Advent Christian Church to pay Farnsworth. He is awaiting sentencing.

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Information from: Richmond Times-Dispatch, http://www.timesdispatch.com

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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