People News
Blackmail target Oprah Winfrey
Jan 8, 2007, 12:30 GMT
Oprah Winfrey in South Africe...somebody messing with Mamma O? Oh no... EPA/KIM LUDBROOK
Oprah Winfrey has been the target of an attempted blackmail plot.
Atlanta man Keifer Bonvillain will appear in federal court on Monday (08.01.07) charged with trying to extort $1.5 million from the chat show host by threatening to sell tapes he made of calls between one of Oprah's employees and himself.
Bonvillain was arrested on December 15 after the employee - who considered the 36-year-old a friend and began moaning about her boss, Oprah, during long phone calls - turned to the police.
According to the FBI, Bonvillain sent a letter to the employee in November stating he had tapes of their conversations and that he wanted to publish a book based on the recordings.
Bonvillain is quoted in the police report as saying: "There are a lot of people who would want these."
It is also claimed he mentioned offers of $500,000 to $3 million he had received from tabloids and book publishers.
Oprah has made no comment, but Bonvillain told the Chicago Sun Times newspaper: "There is nothing to it. It's nothing. It was a big mix-up."
Meanwhile, Oprah publicly took an HIV test in South Africa on Saturday (06.01.07) to raise AIDS awareness.
The 52-year-old star - who has just opened the $40 million Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in the country - also promised the 152 pupils at her new school free AIDS testing, counselling and treatment, if necessary.
She said: "To be a great leader you must be of sound mind, body and spirit.
"Part of leadership is having the courage to demonstrate true action. Today I have taken the test to demonstrate why it's so important."
Winfrey's test results will be kept confidential, as will those of the students. Taking an AIDS test is not compulsory for pupils, and results will not affect their participation at the school.
An estimated 5.4 million of South Africa's 48 million population are infected with the AIDS virus.
(C) BANG Media International
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Older Talkback
page: 1
Maybe opah train a whole new groop of lesies to run africa
page: 1
hapticz@sbcglobal.netJan 8th, 2007 - 17:55:36
like i said before ( in my removed post) who cares? media hype amplifies only the issue to create sales for their tabloids.
& if oprah were to pay what, a mere .01 percent of her net worth to the bum, she would still be ahead of the game and still gaining at a rate better than Wall street can deliver. the bum WILL get caught anyhow, so what the hell is the newsworthyness (newsworthlessness?) of this anyway?
& tell me oprah never ever made a sour comment to anyone in her life!? ha ha, image is everythng these days, and people will pay their soul to keep the wraps on any smudge.
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