Man accused of extorting boss after firing

A former employee at a Spokane landscaping company is accused of trying to extort money from his ex-boss.

Tony W. Jones, 31, was arrested Thursday in an undercover sting at a convenience store on East Francis Avenue in which the victim gave him $1,000 in marked bills as undercover detectives watched.

Jones was arrested after he took the cash, according to the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office.

His victim had called Crime Check this morning to say a recently fired employee “was threatening to cause him trouble with state business and financial agencies” if he didn’t get the cash by noon, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Jones, who has a felony conviciton for drug dealing in 2007, was booked into jail on a second-degree extortion charge about 2:30 p.m. Investigators said he admitted to the crime.