Scotty Steele (1979-2019) was an American stuntman and blackmailer from Los Angeles. In 2019, he attempted to blackmail televangelist Jesse Gemstone with the help of his son Gideon Gemstone, who had filmed an incriminating sex tape of his father. The plan ultimately failed, as Scotty instead kidnapped the family when Gideon decided not to go ahead with the plan. He died in an accidental car crash with Baby Billy Freeman while attempting to escape with the church's money.
Biography[]
Scotty Steele was born in 1979, and he became a Hollywood stuntman in Los Angeles. He worked with Gideon Gemstone during the 2010s before Gideon invited him and his girlfriend Lucy to make millions by blackmailing his father Jesse Gemstone for $1 million, using a sex tape of his father which he had recorded at an Atlanta hotel room. Steele, dressed as the devil, sent Jesse Gemstone the video via text and demanded that he meet with him at a parking lot to discuss the situation further. Jesse was told that he had to deliver the $1 million at a strip mall parking lot at night, but he went to the meeting with his brother Kelvin and his sister Judy and refused to pay the blackmailers, instead attacking Scotty with a key-like melee object and fleeing in the family's van. In a panic, Judy and Jesse accidentally ran over a wounded Scotty, and they also struck Lucy with the van as she came out to help Scotty. Gideon remained in the back of the van, and he helped the two escape; they threw Lucy down a hill after believing her to be dead. They then took up refuge at a motel, where Lucy rejoined them, having survived. When Lucy discovered that Scotty and Gideon had thrown her down the hill, she abandoned them, and Scotty grew angry and abusive towards Gideon due to their failures. They later plotted to have Gideon return to his family and gain access to the family finances through an internship, all while they camped out at a trailer park. Eventually, Gideon invited Scotty to come to the family compound, where Scotty made subtle hints to the family that he was the blackmailer, all while endearing himself to them and attempting to get close to them. Gideon and Scotty planned to rob the megachurch's financier Martin Imari during the Easter Sunday services, but Gideon ultimately reneged on the plan, having come to feel guilty about his betrayal of his family. He beat Scotty down after he tried to stop him from interfering with the services, and he then left, believing that Scotty was dealt with. However, Scotty drove back to the Gemstone compound, having been recognized as a friend and allowed in. He kidnapped Jesse, Gideon, and Eli Gemstone at gunpoint and took them to the Gemstone Salvation Center, where he forced them to open the church's vault so that he could rob it. As he escaped in his van with the money, he crashed into Baby Billy Freeman's car (as Freeman was himself driving out of town after quitting his job at the Locust Grove campus of the Gemstones' church), and Scotty died in the ensuing collision.