Armed robbery charges against former New York Giants cornerback DeAndre Baker were dropped on Monday after his accusers’ attorney was arrested for allegedly attempting to extort $1.5 million from the NFL free agent.
The Giants cut the 23-year-old Baker in September following his offseason arrest for allegedly participating in an armed robbery at a cookout in Miramar, Florida. Witnesses told police that a fight broke out at a card table, at which point Baker allegedly ‘whipped out a semi-automatic firearm’ and instructed two individuals – including Seahawks cornerback Quinton Dunbar – to start robbing people.
Baker, Dunbar, and their alleged accomplice were said to have stolen around $70,000 in cash and jewelry at the party. Dunbar was arrested but never charged with the crime due to lack of evidence. Witnesses recanted testimony against Dunbar back in May following his arrest, but neglected to drop their accusations against Baker at the time.
However, in October, witnesses did drop their allegations against Baker, his attorney confirmed to the Daily Mail.
On Monday, an attorney representing three of the four alleged victims was arrested in Broward County (Florida) on extortion charges related to the case.
Investigators say attorney William Dean initially asked for $1.5 million from Baker, his lawyer confirmed to the Daily Mail, but dropped that figure to $800,000 ($266,000 for each client). In exchange for a bribe, Dean said his clients would stop cooperating with authorities or change their initial sworn statements, according to police.
‘I always had trust in my lawyers and I kept praying every day,’ Baker told the New York Post. ‘I have a praying family. So I always knew I would get through this situation if we stayed honest with ourselves.
‘There were a few little moments but just because of the situation, knowing I should be on the field. But there was never a moment when I felt this day would never come. I knew it was coming, just never knew when.’
Armed robbery charges against former New York Giants cornerback DeAndre Baker (left) were dropped on Monday after his accusers’ attorney was arrested for allegedly attempting to extort $1.5 million from the NFL free agent. William Dean (right), the attorney of three of the four men who accused Baker (left) of armed robbery in May, has been arrested in connection with an alleged extortion plot aimed at coaxing $1.5 million out of the NFL free agent
Baker was released in September after being charged with armed robbery in Florida, but those charges have since been dropped. However, he remains on the commissioner’s exempt list
Dean told Baker’s attorney his clients would do ‘anything you want, so long as the money is right,’ per the report.
After Dean’s arrest, the Broward State Attorney’s Office told reporters that all charges against Baker were being dropped.
‘Subsequently the alleged victims and the known witnesses have become uncooperative and their credibility is inalterably tarnished,’ assistant state attorney Paul Valcore said in a statement.
Baker’s accusers Julius Lamar, Steven Compton and Tommy J. Hartshaw did recant testimony against him in October, saying he ‘did not directly or indirectly participate in any robbery or assist in a robbery at the scene or elsewhere,’ according to records obtained by ESPN.
His attorney, Brad Cohen, said multiple teams have reached out to Baker, inquiring about his services, but he is not sure what the former University of Georgia star plans to do. The Giants have not been in contact with Baker, according to Cohen.
A Giants spokesperson declined to comment to the Daily Mail about Baker’s case on Monday.
‘If they could have kept me, they would have,’ Baker told the Post. ‘It was a business decision and I truly understood it.’
The 30th pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, Baker did not take part in the Giants’ offseason program or attend training camp. He was placed on the Commissioner’s Exempt list on July 27 and formally charged on August 7 with four counts of robbery with a firearm stemming from the alleged incident on May 13. He faced 10 years in prison if convicted.
‘I’m hoping they will come to the realization that is correct and will allow him back into the league and so he can start playing again,’ Cohen told the Daily Mail.
The NFL released a statement Monday, stating that ‘Baker remains subject to discipline based on results’ of an internal investigation. He is eligible to be signed by any team, and told the Post he wouldn’t mind returning to the Giants.
‘I would have no problem going back there,’ Baker said. ‘Yeah, I’d love to go back to the Giants.
‘If I had something to say to the Giants, I would say I apologize for the situation and the bad light I brought on the program, even though I was innocent, I give my apology. I think they should give me another chance because my last few games with the Giants, I went out and I did pretty well and now I’m bigger, faster, stronger after working out and I’m ready to prove myself again. That’s why they should give me a chance.’
Baker has earned over $9 million in salary, according to Spotrac.com.
The extortion allegation follows a previous bribery claim, in which several of the accusers allegedly received cash at attorney Michael Grieco’s office to change their testimony
Monday’s news was not a surprise to Cohen.
‘I’ve been saying this from Day 1, that this was an extortion scheme and that DeAndre was the victim,’ Cohen, told NFL Network on Monday. ‘This event did not play out as they insinuated. And the case was dismissed.’
Dean’s alleged extortion plot follows a previous bribery claim, which appears to be unrelated to Dean’s extortion plot.
In September, Miramar (Florida) Police Department released video purportedly showing the alleged victims receiving a payout to change their testimony against Baker’s alleged accomplice, Dunbar.
Seahawks cornerback Quinton Dunbar was arrested, but never charged in the case
That alleged payoff appears to have taken place at the office of Michael Grieco, Dunbar’s attorney who has since withdrawn from the case amid accusations that he was involved in the bribe.
Police arrested Baker and Dunbar on May 16, but ultimately decided not to charge Dunbar, citing lack of evidence after witnesses changed testimony over his alleged involvement.
‘The football players were trying to offer us some money to go in and sign an affidavit,’ one of the alleged victims told police, according to a supplemental report in the case reviewed by the Daily Mail. ‘We finally agreed to $60,000 and that we would meet at a lawyer’s office in Brickell.’
Baker was also sued by Hartshaw, Lamar, and Compton for $100,000, but he plans to file a countersuit for civil extortion and fraud, according to Cohen.
According to police reports, Baker allegedly robbed one victim of an Audemars Piguet watch, valued at $18,500, and $4,700 in cash, totaling $23,200 in damages. Another alleged victim claimed his $25,000 gold Hublot watch was stolen, along with $7,000 in cash, a passport, a bag, and a key to a Range Rover.
Baker and Dunbar were attending the cookout at a gated community (pictured) in Miramar on May 13 when a fight broke out, and Baker pulled out a handgun, according to an arrest warrant. Baker and other men began robbing people of thousands of dollars in cash, watches and other valuables, witnesses told police. However, those witness statements have been recanted
The New York Daily News reported on July 10 that authorities believe Dunbar and Baker took part in a $55,000 payoff to four alleged victims.
However, Baker’s attorney claims his client refused the accusers, which is why Baker’s name was omitted when they recanted their testimony against Dunbar on May 15.
Cohen also claimed he told the Broward State Attorney’s Office and the FBI that Baker was being extorted by the victims, who were threatening to go to gossip website TMZ with the allegation that both Baker and Dunbar stole thousands of dollars in cash and jewelry at gunpoint.
‘We received information from a third party that basically said if they don’t get paid, they were going to go to TMZ,’ said Cohen, as quoted by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. ‘We knew right away that this was extortion, and we weren’t going to be a part of that.’
The Sun-Sentinel also reported that Grieco is being investigated by the Florida Bar to determine if he had any role in the bribe.
‘There is no way he could not have seen this transaction,’ the warrant states.
The witnesses (not identified here) initially claimed Dunbar was involved, but now say that may not be the case. Police release video of an alleged payoff in the case from a lawyer’s office
DeAndre Bake was charged with four counts of armed robbery and faced 10 years in prison
Seattle Seahawks cornerback Quinton Dunbar was arrested but never charged in the crime
In exchange for the alleged payoff, the four unidentified individuals signed affidavits recanting their initial statements against Dunbar, according to allegations contained in the warrant.
The alleged victims stated on May 15 that ‘any robbery or assault, with or without a firearm, did not involve Mr. Dunbar.’
After the Daily News report, Grieco issued a statement to the Seattle Times, denying the payoff.
‘Law enforcement, both local and federal, was advised from day one and beyond that the alleged ‘victims’ in this case were actively extorting Baker and Dunbar,’ Grieco said, per The Times. ‘These men fabricated a robbery story after waiting an hour to call police and then immediately began contacting the players demanding money.
‘My office obtained accurate and truthful affidavits consistent with the independent witness and my client’s account. These ‘victims’ are seasoned career criminals who have been arrested and/or convicted of crimes ranging from conspiracy to commit murder, to human trafficking, to filing a false police report. Mr. Dunbar took and passed a polygraph confirming that he did not participate or witness any robbery.’
Baker’s attorney, Bradford Cohen (pictured), told NFL Network on Monday: ‘I’ve been saying this from Day 1, that this was an extortion scheme and that DeAndre was the victim’