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Francis A. Garzon, 35, of Brooklyn, must serve the entire plea-bargained 121-month sentence because there's no parole in the federal prison system.
Garzon and Endrit Kllogjeri, 28, were undone by an undercover detective posing as the Monmouth County victim.
Garzon took a deal from the government, pleading guilty last July to conspiracy and extortion rather than risk the potential consequences of a trial conviction.
Kllogjeri, meanwhile, rolled the dice and lost when he was convicted of the same charges following a one-week trial in Trenton last June.
He's scheduled to be sentenced in U.S. District Court in Trenton on March 21, 2024.
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SEE: Federal Jury Convicts NYC Man In $200,000 Shakedown Of Jersey Shore Dad
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In addition to his 10 years in federal prison, Munoz was sentenced to three years of supervised release. by U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraish
Both men and an as-yet unidentified co-conspirator schemed to shake down the Marlboro victim and his son, who lived in Brooklyn, according to a federal grand jury indictment.
The defendants threatened to harm the father if he didn't recover a bag from his son that purportedly held undisclosed property worth $100,000 and was stolen from them, it says.
"Garzon further demanded an additional payment of $100,000 as 'interest' for [the son's] possession of the bag," according to a complaint filed by the FBI.
Garzon went to the father's home, told him that he "did not know who he was dealing with," then pulled out a revolver, pointed it at him and cocked the weapon's hammer, the complaint says.
A series of threatening in-person and phone conversations followed -- including cellphone texts that included photos and videos of the son and his family, it says.
Authorities alerted to the situation used an undercover detective who, posing as the dad, offered to settle the situation with $70,000 in cash, according to the complaint.
Kllogjeri and Garzon were arrested together in a vehicle on Dec. 9, 2019 in Brooklyn, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said.
Moments before the arrest, Garzon tried sending the victim a text message confirming the victim’s plan to pay up, the U.S. attorney said.
Sellinger credited special agents with the FBI with the investigation leading to the conviction, secured by Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric A. Boden, who's the attorney-in-charge of his Trenton office, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ian D. Brater. He also thanked Marlboro Township police and the NYPD for their assistance.
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