Stripper affair leads to extortion plot

An affair with an exotic dancer cost a Marathon County man nearly $100,000 after a four-year extortion plot came unraveled and ended in the arrest of two Wausau-area men.

Alex Santiago, 29, of Ringle and Dustin Congleton, 28, of Weston were arrested Thursday on charges of extortion and receiving stolen property after a 56-year-old man, who is not being named because he is the victim of a crime, told police he'd been paying hush money to the men since 2009, according to a police report. The victim, who is married, paid the men to keep quiet about a sexual relationship he had with an exotic dancer he met at Showtime Gentlemen's Club in Wausau, police said.

According to a criminal complaint:

The victim met the dancer in December 2008 or January 2009 through a mutual acquaintance and began paying her rent, bills and legal expenses. In the fall of 2009, Santiago, who was the dancer's boyfriend, moved to Wausau from Kenosha and threatened to tell the victim's wife about the sexual relationship the victim had with the dancer if he did not give him money. The victim told police he met with Santiago in person between 20 and 30 times to give him cash, money orders and prepaid credit cards.

About a month ago, the victim told Santiago he wanted “something in return” for all the money the victim had paid over the years. Santiago gave the victim seven long guns and told the victim to sell the guns and keep the money. When the victim learned the guns were stolen from Santiago's stepfather, the victim told Santiago he wanted to give the guns back.

About a week after the guns were exchanged, Congleton, a friend of Santiago, contacted the victim for the first time and told him he had information that would get Santiago “off your back forever” and would sell the victim the information for $500. The victim paid Congleton in cash, and Congleton told the victim that Santiago was “fooling around” on the dancer.

Congleton demanded additional money to keep quiet about the guns, and the victim told Congleton he no longer wanted the guns. The two met near a bar in Aniwa where the victim gave Congleton the guns and another $800 to $1,000 in cash.

The victim and his wife told investigators they feared for their lives and for the safety of their family members if they didn't continue to pay the men. It is not clear when the victim informed his wife of the extortion plot.

Both men were released on signature bonds following their initial appearances Friday in Marathon County Circuit Court, online court records show. Preliminary hearings are set for March 18.