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Man sentenced for impersonating Steeler

PITTSBURGH (AP) -A man with a history of impersonating Pittsburgh Steelers players was given jail time Wednesday for persuading a woman to loan him $3,200 while he pretended to be tight end Jerame Tuman.

Brian Jackson, 33, of Brentwood, pleaded guilty to one count of theft by deception and one count of identity theft. He was sentenced to 90 days in jail and placed on probation for five years.

Jackson met the woman through a friend in March 2006 and he told her he was Tuman, Assistant District Attorney Debra Barnisin-Lange said.

The woman gave him money on several occasions. Jackson was arrested after she sent a letter to Tuman through the Steelers asking for the money back. Tuman turned the letter over to Steelers security.

"It seems like you have a penchant for doing this," Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Gerard Bigley said. "If you ever come back here again, I'm going to send you to a state prison."

In 2005, Jackson was charged with impersonating quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and his backup, Brian St. Pierre, to meet women. He was ordered to undergo counseling and sentenced to 30 days in jail after pleading guilty to a reduced charge of disorderly conduct.

"I'd like to apologize to (the victim) and Mr. Tuman," said Jackson, who repaid the money and must report to jail by Aug. 24. "My actions have caused a mess."

Jackson's attorney, James Sheets, asked for probation, but Bigley said, "I don't think 90 days in jail is going to kill him."

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