Would-Be Extortionist Ron Bell Sent Back To Prison

Ron Bell is a forgettable, pathetic shell of a man who persuaded his girlfriend and others to go along with a scheme to extort his friend, former Georgia Tech coach Josh Pastner.

The basic idea was that Pastner had sexually assaulted Bell’s girlfriend and that Bell demanded hush money and threatened to sue if he didn’t get it.

It was all BS from the start. You can have doubts about Pastner’s coaching ability - we did and said so frequently - and still understand that this was a steaming wagon full of horse crap from the start.

Bell was a recovering addict when he met Pastner, who, being the golly gee nice guy that he is, befriended the junky and let him be around his program. Bell had nothing to offer; Pastner did it out of human decency. He was trying to help the guy recover.

And in return, he was subjected to a sociopathic scheme by this ungrateful loser.

Now he’s off to prison for 33 months. This follows a stint Bell has spent in the joint already: he’s been in prison since September of 2022. He was also there for several years previously.

When he eventually gets out again, he’ll have to do the standard things: he’s on probation for another three years, and he’ll have to be in a mental health program and undergo drug and alcohol testing.

And then hopefully he’ll disappear into the vast landscape of American mediocrity, never to be heard from again. One would hope he’d be deeply ashamed of himself, but that’s probably asking too much. But if we never hear from him again, if in a few years people ask, who was that guy?...

That’ll do.

• Ron Bell Sentenced to 33 Months for Extortion Attempt on Georgia Tech, Josh Pastner
• Man gets 33-month sentence for trying to extort Georgia Tech - ESPN
• 33 months in prison for man who extorted Georgia Tech and their former basketball coach
• In federal case, Ron Bell pleads guilty to extorting Georgia Tech, Josh Pastner