Eric Paul Johnson, a 29-year-old resident of Melbourne, Florida, found himself in legal trouble after allegedly extorting over $80,000 from his wife under false pretenses, purportedly to sustain his cocaine addiction, by fabricating involvement with a drug cartel.
Johnson faces a litany of charges, including grand theft of $100,000 or more, organized fraud to obtain property valued over $50,000 or more, extortion, and unlawful use of a two-way communications device, all of which are felonies.
According to court records, Johnson’s wife returned home from work in December 2023 to discover several messages from an unidentified phone number. These messages demanded various sums of money, accompanied by threats of harm if payment was not made promptly.
Johnson allegedly informed his wife that they were being blackmailed and claimed that an individual named “Troy” would assist them. The sender of the messages warned Johnson’s wife that her husband would face violence or even death unless she transferred funds to a CashApp account. The messages contained menacing phrases such as “… 500 now for my family or things will happen” and “500 now or buenas noches” (Spanish for good night).
Johnson was absent during the receipt of these messages, although it was not the first time he had purportedly disappeared under similar circumstances, leaving behind demands for ransom.
Two months prior to his wife reporting his disappearance, Johnson had begun vanishing frequently, allegedly owing money to a supposed drug cartel. Each time his wife paid the demanded ransom, Johnson would eventually return home.
During his disappearance in December, Johnson was in possession of his wife’s car. She suspected his return on the day of the purported kidnapping, as evidenced by the presence of his previously worn outfit in the bedroom.
Law enforcement located Johnson the day after his reported disappearance, driving on US 192 in Melbourne. Johnson confessed to sending the threatening text messages to his wife from an unknown number, attributing his actions to a cocaine addiction.
While Johnson denied involvement in drug trafficking, he acknowledged his personal drug use. A search of his phone allegedly revealed explicit messages to another woman on the day he went missing.
Johnson’s wife disclosed that he had revealed his cocaine and marijuana use, along with claims of working for a drug cartel, before their marriage in May 2020. He purportedly informed her that he was responsible for a significant cocaine shipment, resulting in a $60,000 loss, for which she assisted in paying off the debt.
Additionally, nearly two years before their marriage, Johnson allegedly withdrew $9,000 from his wife’s accounts through multiple ATM transactions across Melbourne. Over the span of May 2020 to December 2023, Johnson purportedly received $18,120 from his wife and a total of $124,549 from her and other sources, as per court documents.