Mass. man guilty of cold case murder pleads guilty to extortion, loansharking charges
Arthur Massei pleaded guilty to attempted extortion, solicitation to commit usury and threatening to cause physical injury or death, Ryan's office said in a statement. Massei was already convicted on May 14, 2024, of the first-degree murder of Natalie Scheublin at her home decades ago.
While in open court, Massei admitted to each of the charges, Ryan's office said. Justice Lynn Rooney sentenced Massei to 15 years in state prison on the charge of attempted extortion; 10 years in state prison on the charge of solicitation to commit usury; and six months in the House of Correction on each of three counts alleging threats to commit a crime.
These will run concurrently with the life without parole sentence he is currently serving for Natalie Schueblin's death.
The Middlesex Sheriff's Office in Billerica had Massei in custody in October 2022 when Massachusetts State Police and Bedford police detectives found that Massei was sending letters to a woman outside of prison, Ryan's office said.
Investigators reviewed Massei's letters, where he asked for help in recruiting someone who would pretend to be a witness for his trial and could falsely testify, Ryan's office said. He also offered to pay $1,000 to someone who could give a fake testimony with instructions about what that person should say.
But the letters contained escalating threats from Massei to the woman if she did not do what he said to his satisfaction, Ryan's office said. At one point, Massei told her if she did not do something fast, he would 'be like a bullet heading for you — full steam ahead with no stops until I get on you — you'll see how I feel really soon — good luck," with the letter ending with 'Like a bullet for you.'
'While he was in custody facing a first-degree murder charge, Arthur Massei continued to pursue criminal schemes and to make threats of criminal violence to people in the outside world,' Ryan said in her statement. 'These deliberate and premeditated attempts to obstruct justice are serious crimes in their own right that strike at the very core of our legal system.'
Massei also told other people to collect loansharking debts he was owed, Ryan's office said. He directed others to collect his illegal debts, instructing the woman who received one of his letters to approach a loansharking victim as soon as she received her government check, before the victim could spend the money on herself.
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