MARQUETTE, Mich. — A Michigan couple were convicted Thursday of trying to extort $680,000 from actor John Stamos by threatening to sell old photos of him with strippers and cocaine to the tabloids unless he paid up.
Allison Coss, 24, and Scott Sippola, 31, were found guilty of conspiracy and using e-mail to threaten a person’s reputation — charges that could land them in prison for up to five years. FBI agents arrested the two in December after Stamos’ lawyer complained that the actor was the target of an extortion attempt.
Defense attorneys told the jury that it wasn’t a crime to sell photos to Stamos, 46, before going to the tabloids. FBI agents, however, testified that a search of the couple’s home failed to turn up any evidence of embarrassing pictures. Stamos starred on “ER” and “Full House.” The Associated Press
