HARRISBURG — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - Pennsylvania, Middle), published as received.

HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Marcia J. Weber, age 46, of Loveland, Ohio was sentenced today in federal court in Harrisburg by U.S. District Court Judge John E. Jones, III to serve 24 months in prison on the charges of conspiracy to commit extortion and threatening to injure a witness.

According to United States Attorney Peter Smith, Nicholas I. Stanishia, while serving a sentence of life imprisonment plus 23 years at the Southeastern Correctional Institution in Lancaster, Ohio, for a murder conviction, developed a relationship with clinical psychologist Weber who helped orchestrate Stanishia’s release from prison by attempting to get the sole witness who identified Stanishia at his Ohio murder trial to recant his trial testimony.

The surviving witness was also shot during the murder but was able to flee.  Stanishia escaped, was captured three years later and tried for the murder.  He was also convicted of a rape and burglary committed while on the run.  He was sentenced to 54 years’ imprisonment for this offense.

Weber and Stanishia met in an Ohio correctional facility where he was participating in a work release program.  Weber hired a private investigator to help obtain information about the witness, who now lives in Central Pennsylvania, including where he and his wife lived, where he worked, and information about his children and other immediate family.  Weber and Stanishia then hired Martin Jay Wilson to travel from Missouri to Pennsylvania, where Wilson rented a car, drove to the witness’s house near Harrisburg and placed a gas can filled with water at the witness’s porch.

Stanishia, with the help of Joy Six and Anthony Vaughn - both other inmates - used a smuggled-in cellular telephone to contact the witness to get the victim/witness to sign an affidavit prepared by Stanishia.  Stanishia stated in the call that the next time the gas can would not be filled with water.  During the call, Stanishia claimed to be a high ranking member of the Aryan Brotherhood and that his release was being orchestrated by the Aryan Brotherhood. The contacts with the witness were subsequently reported to law enforcement agencies. Many of the phone calls were recorded at the prison and played during Stanishia’s trial.

Stanishia was found guilty by a federal jury in Harrisburg of conspiracy to transmit a threat to injure a central Pennsylvania witness who had testified against him.  The case was tried before Judge Jones.  Sentencing of Stanishia is deferred pending preparation of a presentence report.

Six, age 40 and Vaughn, age 41, both Ohio inmates, pled guilty to the conspiracy in July 2015. Sentencing dates have not been scheduled.

Wilson, age 43, of Kansas City, Missouri, pled guilty to the conspiracy in April 2015 and was sentenced in September 2015 by Judge Jones to 18 months.

This case was a collaborative effort between the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Harrisburg, Cincinnati, and Columbus, Ohio Offices, the Hampden Township and the Lower Paxton Police Departments, the Ohio State Highway Patrol, and investigators from the Southeastern Correctional Institution in Ohio.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daryl F. Bloom.

 

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