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5 Charged In Extortion Plot

BALTIMORE (AP) -- Federal prosecutors say five people, two from the Dominican Republic, have been indicted in an alleged plot to extort money while pretending to be agents for the Food and Drug Administration.

The indictment was returned Monday. Only one of the five has been arrested.

According to the indictment, people claiming to represent pharmaceutical distributors in the Dominican Republic offered, through calls and e-mail, to sell medications.

The after the customers made payments, they would receive calls from people claiming to be FDA agents and saying fines had been imposed against the customers.

The customers were told to pay the fines through Western Union to the five indicted people and others in the United States.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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