Actor Roy James Wilson was hired by Douglas Singer and Marianne Wood to act as their ‘muscle’ as they attempted to shake down a former Brooklyn pizzeria owner for $198,000
Two wannabe mobsters face up to 20 years in jail for hiring an actor to shake down a former Brooklyn pizzeria owner for $200,000.
Roy James Wilson, who has had small parts in Creed and Blotto in Dead Man Down, pleaded guilty to extorting the man while holding a prop gun and dressed in an outfit inspired by The Sopranos.
He was recruited by Douglas Singer, 54, and Marianne Wood, 61, to intimidate the landlord who sold them the pizzeria inside a building he owned in Sheepshead Bay for $60,000, a $15,600 security deposit and monthly rent payments of $5,200, court documents revealed.
After demanding the victim cough up nearly $200,000, Wood pulled out pictures of his family, saying it would be in his ‘best interest’ to pay up.
Wilson then showed off his fake pistol, which was holstered on his hip and under his leather jacket, to try and intimidate him further.
Singer and Wood have also pleaded guilty, and now the trio faces up to 20 years each in prison for their role in the plot.
Wilson, pictured with Sylvester Stallone on the set of Creed, wore an all-black outfit, complete with a leather jacket and fake gun holstered to his hip as he intimidated the victim
In November 2018, months after signing the restaurant deal, Singer and Wood came back to the restaurant and claimed the landlord owed them $198,000 for operating losses, equipment and renovation costs.
The pair brought along actor Wilson, whose minor roles included cops, to pretend to be their ‘muscle’, reports NY Post.
Singer wrote to Wilson via Facebook Messenger: ‘I was wondering if you might be interested in a kind of acting gig.
‘I need a couple of guys to escort my associate [Wood] while she delivers a demand to my landlord… You will simply have to stand in the background and appear to be muscle.’
He asked Wilson to wear a dark suit without a tie and sunglasses for a Sopranos-style costume for $50 an hour.
The actor starred as a security guard in Remember Me, which starred Robert Pattinson, as Blotto in Dead Man Down with Colin Farrell, and as Charlie with Richard Gere and Dokota Fanning in The Benefactor.
Other notable co-stars include James McAvoy in Split, Julianna Margulies in The Good Wife and Larry David in Curb Your Enthusiasm.
Wilson, pictured far left as Blotto in Dead Man Down, was asked to wear a Sopranos-style costume
Pictured: Wilson with French actor Gerard Depardieu. Wilson acted as the ‘muscle’ while Wood pulled out pictures of the victim’s family, saying it would be in his ‘best interest’ to pay up
FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Sweeney said of the case: ‘A group of people doing their best to act like a group of mobsters, shaking down a pizzeria owner, will now face a steep price for what they described as “kinda fun”.
‘Business owners who are trying to make an honest living, shouldn’t have to fear someone with no legal power over them, extorting and threatening their livelihoods.’
Singer also texted Wood to say ‘Let the games begin!’
Each of the defendants face up to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to Hobbs Act extortion conspiracy.
United States Attorney Donoghue added: ‘The defendants carefully scripted an intimidation plot, even using an actor as muscle, all in an effort to extort the victim into giving them $198,000.
‘Protecting business owners from shake downs will always be a priority of this Office and our law enforcement partners.’
Pictured: Wilson alongside Richard Gere in the Benefactor in 2015. Other notable co-stars include James McAvoy in Split and Julianna Margulies in The Good Wife
FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Sweeney said of the case: ‘A group of people doing their best to act like a group of mobsters, shaking down a pizzeria owner, will now face a steep price for what they described as “kinda fun”.’ Pictured: The Sopranos