Hollywood Producer Harvey Weinstein Targeted In Extortion Plot By Struggling Actor
Aug. 22 2012, Published 1:00 p.m. ET
A 25-year-old actor is in federal custody without bail in West Virginia, RadarOnline.com has learned, after authorities said he tried to extort $4 million from ace movie producer Harvey Weinstein.
Vivek Shah, an Akron, Ohio native living in West Hollywood, California, was arrested August 10 at his parents' Chicago-area home, accused of sending threatening letters to Weinstein and four other wealthy businessmen, officials said.
"Each of these letters contained a threat to kill named members of the recipient's family," Postal Inspector Joshua Mehall said in court docs, "unless a large sum of money was wired to an offshore bank account."
Asked about the plot, the 60-year-old Weinstein, who won an Oscar for producing Shakespeare in Love, declined to comment. (He told the New York Daily News, “I’m with my kids right now -- goodbye.")
Watch the video on RadarOnline.com
Shaw had an uncredited role in 2008's The Dark Knight, and also appeared on the TV show Bones earlier this year. On his Facebook page, he had pictures posed alongside huge Hollywood names such as Tom Cruise, Angelina Jolie and Sofia Vergara.
The actor, if convicted, faces up to 20 years in prison.
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