Man facing felony extortion charges enters plea agreement
Possible sentencing to include 28 months in prison, protection order for victims
September 10, 2019
A former WSU student entered a plea agreement on Sept. 5 during a Whitman County Superior Court hearing.
Kyle Gaumnitz, 24, was charged with five counts of extortion in the second degree with sexual motivation after allegedly attempting to extort naked photographs from women.
According to the plea agreement, four of the alleged crimes took place between September 2017 and November 2017 with the fifth one to have been between July 2016 and November 2016.
According to the sentencing data of the plea agreement, the standard range for a charge of extortion in the second degree, which is a class C felony, is 12 to 16 months.
If the plea agreement is accepted as is by Gary Libey, Whitman County Superior Court judge, Gaumnitz will serve 28 months in the Department of Corrections, according to the plea agreement. Gaumnitz is not allowed to seek alternative sentencing such as Special Sex Offender Sentencing Alternative (SSOSA).
The plea agreement would also require Gaumnitz to register as a sex offender if convicted.
If convicted, Gaumnitz would receive credit for time served, meaning the amount of time he has spent in jail prior to conviction would be subtracted from his sentence, according to the plea agreement.
According to the plea agreement, Gaumnitz would be required to forfeit property seized during a search of his residence in February 2018. According to a Certificate of Probable Cause Charges issued March 2019, some property seized by law enforcement authorities included a desktop computer, laptops, tablets and phones.
The plea agreement would require Gaumnitz to pay a $500 victim assessment fee, a $100 DNA/biological sample fee, and a $200 filing fee.
Gaumnitz may also have to pay restitution to the victims if ordered to by the state after conviction.
If Gaumnitz is convicted, a seven-year Sexual Assault Protection Order will be filed for the five victims against Gaumnitz.
According to the Whitman County Jail Inmate Listing website, Gaumnitz was booked at noon on Sept. 5 where he is currently being held without bail.
