Playboy model Shannon Teresa Marie Schwartz has been charged with one count of bribery of a public official and one count of obstruction of justice. Photo / Instagram
Playboy model Shannon Teresa Marie Schwartz has been charged with one count of bribery of a public official and one count of obstruction of justice. Photo / Instagram
Former Playboy model Shannon Teresa Marie Schwartz has been charged with bribery and obstruction of justice in Hawaii.
Schwartz was charged with one count of bribery of a public official and another count of obstruction of justice. She reportedly offered money to a federal agent to persuade a judge to release her boyfriend on bail while he awaits trial.
The model is said to have offered a US$5000 ($8365) bribe to a Homeland Security Investigations special agent to ensure the supervised release of her boyfriend, Billy Wilhelm Huntzinger, from the Federal Detention Center in Honolulu, according to a federal criminal complaint, according to Daily Mail.
Huntzinger was jailed for having 205 rounds of Remington.223-caliber ammunition in his possession, as well as nearly $5000 worth of crystal meth.
Huntzinger was arrested on January 11 after it was reported that he was spotted knocking on the door of someone’s home with a gun tucked into his pants, according to The Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
Police raided Huntzinger’s home and found an AR-15-style “ghost gun” with no serial number or make, over 200 rounds of ammunition, a grenade pin, nearly 115 grams of a white substance thought to be crystal meth and five grams of a substance that is possibly cocaine.
Allegations that Schwartz bribed the police officer came to light after an HSI special agent alleged that he received “numerous missed calls, text messages and voicemails from Schwartz” on February 21, according to federal court records.
Schwartz reportedly told the officer that she was sent his way by a “high-profile inmate” to “handle a situation”, the documents claim.
What’s more, the model also requested to meet the agent in person so he could “see she was serious and could pay him”.
“I can help with whatever you need $ not sure what your services cost ...” she reportedly messaged him on February 22.
The officer went to the US attorney’s office and his supervisors about the harassment the same day, which led to a formal investigation into the model, who was recently featured on Maxim New Zealand’s front cover in December.
Schwartz continued to text the agent despite him declining to help her.
Shannon Teresa Marie Schwartz and Billy Wilhelm Huntzinger. Photo / Instagram and Facebook
The official then agreed to meet with Schwartz and texted her on March 1 saying that he needed to use his mobile phone to talk with her but ended up using an undercover government device.
On March 5, they met at Starbucks on Nuuanu Ave where Schwartz reportedly offered $5000 for the officer’s help.
She is said to have agreed to give the official a “good faith” payment and pay the rest once her boyfriend was released.
“Thank you so much. You don’t know how important this is to me. I appreciate you,” she reportedly texted the officer after she had struck the deal.
Schwartz and the agent then met again on March 7. The model gave him $2500 ($4183) cash hidden in a plastic cup at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport.
A motion was filed by Special Assistant US Attorney Nicole Hudspeth opposing Huntzinger’s request to be released ahead of trial.
