Yoko says she was blackmailed
A chauffeur for Yoko Ono has been arrested and accused of blackmail. He threatened to kill her and her son, Sean, and to circulate private audiotapes and photographs if she did not give him $US2 million ($2.54 million), police said.
Koral Karsan, 50, who worked for Ono for 10 years, was arrested at his home in Amityville, on Long Island, said a spokesman for the New York Police Department.
As he was led from the police station on Wednesday night, Karsan said Ono, 73, had invented the charges "to stop a sexual harassment suit".
Karsan presented Ono with a letter detailing his grievances in a confrontation at her apartment on Friday, a law enforcement official said. With the letter was a photograph of her in a housedress or pyjamas and a tape of her expressing "her personal opinions on people and events", the official said.
Karsan tried to grab the material back, but Ono held onto it.
It was unclear what other material Karsan had, or what Ono said on the audio tape, but the official said none of it was sexual. On Tuesday, Karsan met a lawyer for Ono, demanded $US2 million and threatened to kill her, Sean Lennon and himself if his demands were not met, the official said.
The New York Times |
