ORANGEBURG, S.C. — An investigator said a woman swindled out of $18,000 became so paranoid someone was going to attack her that she didn't even want to be interviewed in a room with windows.
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A judge ordered Mike Phillips to serve five years in prison for blackmail after he pleaded guilty Tuesday in Orangeburg County.
Police began investigating after the woman told workers at a mental hospital why she cut both her arms.
The Times and Democrat of Orangeburg report that authorities determined Phillips convinced the woman she could get custody of her daughter during a divorce if she hired a private investigator.
Prosecutors said Phillips created a character named "Trell" who demanded money from the victim and even pretended to hold a gun against her head.
Phillips apologized before he was sentenced.
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