‘Breaking Bad’ Star Steven Michael Quezada Receives Political Blackmail Threat And Brings Mugshot Scam To Light
Breaking Bad star Steven Michael Quezada claims to be a victim of political blackmail in a video he posted on Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/StevenMichael.Quezada/videos/10152978890473039/?permPage=1
According to the actor from Breaking Bad, he received an email from someone he presumes to be named Robert Sanchez threatening to expose Quezada’s old DWI conviction as well as publishing his booking mugshots if he did not resign from the race to obtain a seat on the Bernalillo County Board of Commissioners in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Shortly after Breaking Bad ended, Steven Michael Quezada was able to win a seat as a member of the Albuquerque Board of Education. In the Facebook video, Quezada talked about the fact that this blackmail was nothing more than a threat to publish something that was already of public record. According to the Breaking Bad star, he did not care that his criminal history was of public record.
KRQE News 13 reported that the Breaking Bad actor’s criminal record consisted of two DWI cases that were dismissed in 2002 and one that Michael Quezada pleaded guilty to back in 1998.
There are mugshots of the Breaking Bad actor from all three DWI arrests. According to the video, the email also mentioned allegations of domestic violence. According to KRQE News 13, there is nothing of public record to suggest Steven has ever been involved in a domestic violence case.
It was in July of last year that Steven Michael Quezada first announced he was running for a seat with the Bernalillo County Commission. According to the Breaking Bad actor, his goal is to bring a “new face” to the Democratic party. During the announcement, Michael Quezada went on to suggest that there should be more Mexican-American elected officials with seats on the Bernalillo County Commission.
“We need to reach out to our young people – the young Chicanos, the young Latinos – and get them involved in this process and let them know this is important.”
On Twitter, fans of Steven Michael Quezada praised the actor for standing up to the blackmailer:
Among the feedback Quezada got on Twitter was one tweet putting the spotlight on mugshot scams:
@StevenMQuezada For those trying to blackmail you-@thisisfusion investigates the mugshot extortion industry. https://t.co/egLHsD1GlA
— Natasha Del Toro (@ndeltoro) March 26, 2016
For over a year, Fusion’s The Naked Truth investigative team, led by correspondent Natasha Del Toro, have navigated through the world of shady mugshot websites. The purpose of these websites is nothing more than to collect mugshots and horrible stories that no one wants to be told. The investigation team chases down the owners of these websites to ask them why they publish mugshots and stories without knowing the truth about the people they are publishing information about.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKa6QUlMYfY
The video talks about a website called Mugshots.com, which will only remove the published mugshot of an individual after he or she pays a fee. In the video, one victim reveals that he was told he would have to pay a few of $300 to have his mugshot removed even though the story attached to the mugshot was untrue. To make the story worse, the victim assumed this website was the reason he was jobless and potential employers continued to turn him down. What is being described by many as a scam is a vicious cycle, as he cannot get a job because of the website which prevents him from having the money to pay to take the mugshot down.
Even Fusion’s The Naked Truth investigative team members admit to just assuming the worst of someone when they see a mugshot in the video without giving any real thought to whether or not the person was even guilty. In the United States, you are innocent until you are proven guilty. However, your mugshots are taken when you are arrested and they are connected to the crime you were arrested for whether or not you were guilty of it in the first place.
How Mugshots Became A Multi-Million Dollar Scam That No One Can Stop https://t.co/i7nA7XwnCw
— Steven M Quezada (@StevenMQuezada) March 26, 2016
As the latest victim of an attempted mugshot scam and political blackmail, Steven Michael Quezada retweeted information about the mugshot scams with the hope of spreading awareness about it.
[Photo by Katy Winn/AP Images]
