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Man stole saying he was Steeler, police say
Saturday, August 26, 2006

A man charged with impersonating Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to get dates was accused of stealing $3,200 from another woman by telling her he was another player on the team, tight end Jerame Tuman.

Brian Jackson, 32, of Brentwood, was charged with theft by deception for borrowing the money and never repaying it. The woman lent the money to Mr. Jackson because she believed he was Mr. Tuman, Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. said.

Last year, Mr. Jackson was charged with impersonating Mr. Roethlisberger and his then-backup, Brian St. Pierre, to meet and date women. Mr. Jackson was ordered to undergo psychological counseling and sentenced to 30 days in jail after pleading guilty to a reduced charge of disorderly conduct.

The woman in the latest case did not realize she was duped until she wrote Mr. Tuman asking him to repay the money.

Mr. Tuman turned the matter over to the team, which referred her to Mr. Tuman's picture on the team's Web site.

When the woman learned Mr. Tuman was not the man she knew, a team official helped her find a news article about Mr. Jackson -- and she recognized him as the man she was dating, authorities said.

Mr. Jackson does not have a listed telephone and did not have an attorney when he was arraigned late Wednesday, district attorney's spokesman Mike Manko said yesterday.

The charge he faces this time is a felony punishable by up to seven years in prison.

First published on August 26, 2006 at 12:00 am
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