Prosecutors have charged a couple from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula with threatening to sell pictures of John Stamos unless he paid them $680,000.
Allison Coss and Scott Sippola were taken into custody on December 3 on extortion charges at an airport near Marquette, about 450 miles north of Detroit. It was there that an undercover FBI agent, who was posing as a representative for Stamos, had agreed to meet with them.
Stamos’ spokesman Matt Polk discussed the photos on Tuesday.
“At the conclusion of the investigation and hearing, the photos will be available and the public will be able to see that the photos are simply John posing with fans,” Polk said.
Stamos, 46, is currently starring in a Broadway production of Bye Bye Birdie. He has also starred in TV series like ER and Full House.
Stamos had gotten an e-mail in late November from one “Brian L,” who threatened to distribute pictures to the press unless the actor paid $680,000, according to agent Leslie Hahn in an official affidavit.
The FBI then had an agent pose as Stamos’ rep and get in touch with “Brian L” via e-mail.
After the arrest, the FBI searched the couple’s home and found pieces of paper with Stamos’ cell phone number as well as contact information for three tabloid.
“The U.S. attorney and the FBI handled the investigation swiftly and with great expertise,” Polk said.
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