People News

Bahamian shame: senator charged in Travolta blackmail

Jan 25, 2009, 11:00 GMT

The actor - whose 16-year-old son Jett died on January 2 after suffering a seizure while on holiday with his family in the Bahamas - asked police to investigate threats made to his family last week and following questioning, Grand Bahama\'s Senator Pleasant Bridgewater has been charged with extortion. © Chris Hatcher / PR Photos

The actor - whose 16-year-old son Jett died on January 2 after suffering a seizure while on holiday with his family in the Bahamas - asked police to investigate threats made to his family last week and following questioning, Grand Bahama\'s Senator Pleasant Bridgewater has been charged with extortion. © Chris Hatcher / PR Photos

A high-ranking politician has resigned after being charged with blackmailing John Travolta.

The actor - whose 16-year-old son Jett died on January 2 after suffering a seizure while on holiday with his family in the Bahamas - asked police to investigate threats made to his family last week and following questioning, Grand Bahama's Senator Pleasant Bridgewater has been charged with extortion.

The official left her post yesterday (24.01.09) following the investigation and vowed to fight "unfair and untrue charges" stemming from actions she took as a lawyer.

She said: "How these innocent actions can be so misconstrued, so perversely twisted to mean something other than it was, is a mystery."

Police have also been questioning ambulance driver Tarino Lightbourne and former tourism minister Obie Wilchcombe, though neither man have been charged.

Obie had previously described himself as a friend of John and his wife Kelly Preston, and is believed to have been one of the people who tried to revive Jett following his seizure.

No specific details of the blackmail plot have been revealed, though it is believed to involve a photograph of Jett which someone is attempting to make public.

The family's attorneys Mike Ossi and Howard Butler released a statement about the rumoured $20million extortion attempt saying: "Regrettably, in a time of such terrible grief, there are often a few individuals who attempt to make false claims in hopes of making millions of dollars. We will never let that happen."



COMMENT

blog comments powered by Disqus

Latest Headlines in People

Older Talkback

Follow Us

Follow M&C on Pinterest

Search

Custom Search

Sites We Like

Heckler Spray
The Celebrity Cafe

Also Check Out

Hilary Duff, Rachael Leigh Cook kicked off the Bing Summer of Doing

Hilary Duff, Rachael Leigh Cook kicked off the Bing Summer of Doing
Yesterday, Bing and DoSomething.org kicked off the Bing Summer of Doing with a day of service at Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA) with Hilary Duff, Cody Simpson, Teresa Palmer, Rachael Leigh Cook, and more. ... more

Kelly Clarkson optimistic about love

Kelly Clarkson optimistic about love
Kelly Clarkson has 'high hopes' for her new relationship with Brandon Blackstock. ... more

Justin Bieber can't move eyebrow after concussion

Justin Bieber cant move eyebrow after concussion
Justin Bieber can't move his eyebrow after running into a glass wall on Thursday (31.05.12) and suffering a concussion. ... more

Pamela Anderson wants to move back to Canada

Pamela Anderson wants to move back to Canada
Pamela Anderson wants to move back to Canada, because she feels like she is 'playing a character' when she is in Los Angeles. ... more

Queen Elizabeth excited about concert

Queen Elizabeth excited about concert
Britain's Queen Elizabeth can't wait for the Diamond Jubilee Concert on Monday (04.06.12), says event organiser Gary Barlow. ... more

Usher: I'm a genius

Usher: Im a genius
Usher has a strong sense of self-belief and believes everything he does is 'genius'. ... more

Jake Shears received death threat

Jake Shears received death threat
Scissor Sisters singer Jake Shears had his security boosted after a death threat against him was intercepted by his management team. ... more

One Direction gain police protect in Canada

One Direction gain police protect in Canada
' X Factor' 2010 rejects have stuck to their word and bulked up on security. ... more

Susan Boyle has emotional motorway breakdown

Susan Boyle has emotional motorway breakdown
'Britain's Got Talent' reject was screaming and crying. ... more

Russell Brand: Tom Cruise is a joy to be around

Russell Brand: Tom Cruise is a joy to be around
'Rock Of Ages' actor says his co-star cooked him a birthday dinner. ... more