Attorney Stephen L. Snyder Sentenced for Attempted Extortion

Baltimore, Maryland - Today, U.S. District Judge Deborah L. Boardman sentenced Stephen L. Snyder, 77, of Baltimore, Maryland, to three years of probation with six months of home confinement, for one count of attempted extortion and seven counts of the Travel Act. A federal jury found Snyder guilty back on November 22, 2024, after a nine-day trial.

Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) - Baltimore Field Office.

According to the evidence at trial, Snyder, a plaintiffs medical malpractice attorney in the Baltimore area, represented two medical malpractice claimants who allegedly experienced injury following organ transplants at the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC). From January 2018 through September 2018, Snyder attempted to extort the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) by threatening to "destroy" the UMMC transplant department unless UMMS paid him $25 million personally and separate from any settlement with his client.

Specifically, Snyder threatened to launch a public-relations campaign that would falsely accuse UMMC of tricking unsophisticated patients into accepting diseased organs. He claimed that he would run a front-page ad in The Baltimore Sun, hold a press conference, and create an internet advertisement directing anyone searching for the UMMC transplant program to his law firm's website. Snyder also threatened to create commercials conveying his false message and accusing UMMC of putting "profits over safety." Snyder played these commercials during meetings with attorneys representing UMMS. Snyder claimed that the parties could enter into a sham consulting agreement that would provide cover for the $25 million payment.

Snyder made his extortionate demands and threats over a series of meetings and phone calls with attorneys for UMMS in 2018. One of those meetings, which occurred on August 23, 2018, was recorded by Federal law enforcement using hidden video cameras.

U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the FBI for their work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew P. Phelps and Evelyn L. Cusson who prosecuted the federal case.

For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney's Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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