The Arizona woman who conspired to destroy the livelihood and reputation of former Georgia Tech men’s basketball coach Josh Pastner with false allegations of sexual assault has been sentenced to one year in federal prison. Jennifer Pendley, who claimed in a 2018 lawsuit that Pastner had sexually assaulted her several times, received the sentence Aug. 9 in U.S. district court in Atlanta after pleading guilty in February to conspiracy to commit extortion in February.
At the sentencing, Pendley, 51, apologized directly to Pastner, according to Pendley’s attorney Jeff Brickman.
“On multiple occasions, directly to coach Pastner, (Pendley) apologized profusely for what she had done and apologized for all of the pain and suffering that she had caused him and his family,” Brickman told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Thursday. “There was absolutely no doubt about her remorse or acceptance of responsibility.”
Pendley was the girlfriend of Ron Bell, who gained the friendship of Pastner but then sought his ruin after a personal falling out with the coach in 2017. Seeking Pastner’s termination, Bell claimed erroneously that Pastner had committed NCAA violations. When the school stood behind Pastner, Bell then alleged with Pendley’s help that Pastner had sexually assaulted her and demanded bribe money from Tech in exchange for his not reporting the claimed assault. After Tech refused to comply, Bell and Pendley filed a lawsuit alleging the assault, a claim which ultimately was demonstrated not only to be false, but deceptive and retaliatory.
Pendley’s sentencing follows the prison term of two years and nine months that Bell received in July for the same crime of conspiracy to commit extortion. Pendley also was sentenced to three years of supervised release upon her release from prison.
Pendley is in dire health and is suffering from an incurable disease, Brickman said. The court recommended that Pendley be designated to a prison hospital facility “where her medical condition can be appropriately treated.”
Pastner was dismissed from his position at Tech in March after seven seasons coaching the Yellow Jackets. He was replaced by Damon Stoudamire.
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