Former court deputy pleads guilty to attempted blackmail of York Co. sheriff

A former courthouse deputy pleaded guilty to trying to blackmail York County Sheriff Bruce Bryant in 2013, according to court records.

Julio Cesar Rua, 71, who was originally charged with obstruction of justice and extortion, pleaded guilty last week to contempt of court, according to court records. The extortion charge was dismissed and the obstruction charge reduced in exchange for the plea.

A judge sentenced Rua to six months in prison suspended to two years’ probation. He also cannot have any contact with Bryant or the sheriff’s immediate family and must cooperate with any mental health referrals deemed appropriate by the state Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services, according to court documents.

Rua was a courthouse deputy for the York County Sheriff’s Office and was terminated in 2013. He filed a lawsuit after his termination that alleged racial discrimination by his supervisors while he was employed and claimed discrimination played a role in his termination. The lawsuit was eventually dismissed.

According to an indictment, Rua mailed letters to Bryant between March 2013 and July 2013 to extort money from Bryant “and other thing(s) of value to compel settlement of a lawsuit” with “an offer” to Rua.

An order of contempt filed last week states Rua “committed numerous acts” during the same time frame “in a scheme of attempted intimidation, coercion and threats to obstruct, impede, and hinder the administration of justice in York County in connection with the above described lawsuit.”

This story was originally published April 27, 2016 at 5:08 PM with the headline "Former court deputy pleads guilty to attempted blackmail of York Co. sheriff."