extortion

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Extortion Try Just Latest Weirdness in Dave's Life

Letterman's extortion plot follows earlier stalkers, would-be kidnapper

(Newser) - David Letterman’s extortion drama is just the latest in a long line of bizarre happenings. A look back:
  • 1993: Margaret Ray, who stole Letterman’s Porsche in the 1980s and called herself “Mrs. David Letterman,” broke into his home at least seven times and was arrested in
...

Letterman Paid for Assistant's Degree: Rumor

Host said to keep three to five young women on staff at all times

(Newser) - David Letterman can be a great boss for certain special employees. In the case of Stephanie Birkitt, who once dated alleged blackmailer Robert Halderman, Letterman paid her way through college, Gawker reports, citing “the scuttlebutt on the set.” Birkitt was Letterman’s top assistant—the host employed at...

At First Blush, Fans Forgive Dave

 At First 
 Blush, Fans 
 Forgive Dave 
LETTERMAN ROUNDUP
Oct 2, 2009 10:31 AM CDT

At First Blush, Fans Forgive Dave

Scandal-tainted David Letterman rules in ratings and with devotees

(Newser) - David Letterman’s fans—at least the handful surveyed by the Daily News—agree: All is forgiven. In fact, his extortionist is the one who should be ashamed of himself. “We love Letterman no matter what he does. He brings us joy,” said a would-be audience member outside...

Extortionist Dated Letterman Staffer Who Had Affair

'48 Hours' producer slept around, former father-in-law says

(Newser) - When David Letterman shocked last night's audience with his tale of blackmail—or as the New York Post calls it, sextortion—he left out the names of everyone else involved, but details are beginning to emerge. The man arrested in the case was Robert Joel Halderman, 57, an Emmy-winning producer...

Letterman Reveals Extortion Attempt Over Office Sex

After grand jury testimony, late-night host says con man wanted $2M

(Newser) - In a highly unusual moment during the taping of last night’s Late Show, David Letterman confessed to his studio audience that he had had sexual flings with female staffers on the show, and that they had become the basis for a $2 million extortion attempt by a CBS news...

Cops Seize Mafia Don's 'Croc Weapon'

Mobster accused of threatening to feed extortion victims to 6-foot beast

(Newser) - Italian police have confiscated a crocodile they suspect was used by a Mafia boss to persuade people to cough up protection money. The gangster invited extortion victims to his home and threatened to set the crocodile on them if they didn't pay up, investigators say. He has has been charged...

Travolta Recounts Effort to Save 'Autistic' Jett

Continuing testimony could be key in $25M extortion case

(Newser) - John Travolta appeared in a Bahamian court today and recounted his efforts to save dying son Jett earlier this year, E! reports. He also publicly acknowledged Jett's troubles for the first time: "He was autistic. He suffered from a seizure disorder." After a nanny woke them to say...

Mexican Drug Cartels Turn Into Mafias

(Newser) - Mexican drug cartels have evolved into mafia empires, charging protection fees to businesses and providing social services and jobs where government cannot, the AP reports. Behind it lurks the threat of violence or kidnapping, which drug lords carry out with near impunity. "Today, the traffickers have big companies, education,...

Louisville Coach Admits Sex With Accused Blackmailer

Woman charged with $10M extortion attempt

(Newser) - University of Louisville men's basketball coach Rick Pitino told police that he had consensual sex with a woman who later accused him of rape and tried to blackmail him for $10 million, according to records obtained by the Courier-Journal. Karen Sypher, the estranged wife of the team's equipment manager, has...

'Abstinence' State Senator Quits After Intern Affair

(Newser) - Pro-abstinence Tennessee State Sen. Paul Stanley has stepped down in the wake of revelations that he had an affair with his 22-year-old intern, reports AP. The 47-year-old married father of two admitted the affair to investigators after his intern's boyfriend allegedly attempted to blackmail Stanley for $10,000. "Due...

Real Housewife's Dark Past Comes to Light

Danielle Staub has a felony on her record

(Newser) - The shocking reveal is a reality-TV staple, and The Real Housewives of New Jersey has a doozy—cast member Danielle Staub has a criminal past. Even on a show that trades in bad taste, Staub sticks out for being its first felon, reports the New York Post. In last week's...

Cash-Rich Italian Mafia Grows in Recession

Mobsters prey on desperate consumers looking for cash, credit

(Newser) - In Italy, one man’s recession is a mobster’s paradise, the AP reports. Organized crime syndicates are taking full advantage of the economic slowdown, gobbling up businesses and flaunting an asset in short supply these days: liquidity. Money is no object to the syndicates, who scored $167 billion in...

Travolta Extortion Case Nears Trial

Prosecution has gathered all necessary evidence

(Newser) - Bahamian prosecutors are ready to begin the extortion trial against two people accused of trying to profit from the death of Jett Travolta, E! reports. A former senator and a paramedic are charged with attempting to blackmail the Travoltas into giving up $25 million. They had a "failure to...

Photo-Humiliation Site Sparks Facebook Fury

'Paparazzi for the masses' site YoBusted accused of extortion, copyright infringement

(Newser) - Facebook isn't laughing about a site trying to cash in on people's funny photos, reports BusinessWeek. YoBusted features embarrassing photos sent in by users, often lifted from Facebook. Anybody who wants his or her photo removed has to sign up for a $20-a-month membership. Any "friend" who sends in...

'Medical Document' Used in Travolta Blackmail Plot

Document says Travolta 'refused treatment'

(Newser) - Two people arrested in an extortion plot against John Travolta allegedly attempted to blackmail the actor with a signed document purportedly revealing that he refused hospital treatment for his teenage son shortly before the boy's death, reports People. A Bahamian paramedic and the man's attorney pressed Travolta to buy a...

Ambulance Driver Charged in Travolta Extortion Plot

(Newser) - Paramedic Tarino Lightbourne, the second of three suspects held in the John Travolta extortion case, pleaded not guilty today to conspiracy charges in the Bahamas, E! Online reports. Lightbourne had driven Jett Travolta to a hospital the day he died. The paramedic is being held without bail; a prosecutor says...

Lawmaker Charged in Travolta Extortion Quits

(Newser) - A Bahamas lawmaker quit today after police charged her with trying to extort millions from John Travolta following his son's death, the AP reports. "How these innocent actions can be so misconstrued... is a mystery," said Pleasant Bridgewater, who vowed to fight the charges. Sources tell TMZ that...

Paramedic, Lawmaker Busted in Travolta Extortion Plot

Men accused of trying to blackmail star for $20M over son's death

(Newser) - Bahamian police have an island politician and an ambulance driver in custody for allegedly trying to extort $20 million from John Travolta over his son's death, People reports. The country's former minister of tourism, a family friend of the Travoltas, was released after questioning.The ambulance driver has told tabloids...

Travolta Target of Extortion Plot
 Travolta Target of Extortion Plot 
Jan 21, 2009 11:52 AM CST

Travolta Target of Extortion Plot

Pair tried to get 'millions' from star after son's tragic death, lawyers say

(Newser) - Bahamanian police are investigating two alleged extortionists accused of trying to wrangle millions from John Travolta after the Jan. 2 death of his son, Jett. One of the co-conspirators is “believed to be a politician,” the National Enquirer reports, citing a newspaper in the Bahamas, where Jett suffered...

Feds: Blago Extorted Hospital Honcho

Guv planned to seek campaign cash in return for state funding

(Newser) - The Rod Blagojevich scandal extends beyond politics to medicine, the Chicago Tribune reports. He threatened to withhold $8 million in state funding for a pediatric health initiative unless the head of Children’s Memorial Hospital gave his campaign $50,000, according to the federal criminal complaint against the Illinois governor....

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