Former IUP basketball star Yancey Taylor has been accused of trying to scam a 69-year-old Lancaster County woman out of about $159,000 to feed his gambling habit.
State Attorney General Josh Shapiro characterized the 45-year-old IUP Hall of Famer as a “professional liar” who claimed he had ties to the Mafia and frightened the retired school teacher into handing over large sums of cash as part of an “investment” scheme. Karen Fedrow even received a phone call from a man identifying himself as “The Boss” and using voice distortion, who said he could observe everything she was doing. Fedrow went to authorities in Lancaster County, who worked with Westmoreland County authorities and arranged a meeting in which the woman wore a wire. In the recorded conversation, Taylor told the victim he was dealing with “the Boss” and she was not in danger.
The attorney general says Taylor, who is from Donora, told a grand jury in January that there was no such man as “The Boss” and admitted he spent Fedrow’s money on casino gambling. Shapiro said he intends to send Taylor to prison. He’s charged with theft by deception and theft by extortion, each of which can carry a prison sentence of as many as ten years.
Shapiro advises anyone else who may have been scammed by Taylor to call his office at 717-787-6858.
