Second Man Pleads Guilty In J-Lo Extortion Case
Posted June 30, 2006 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Steven Wortman was in court on Thursday and is one of two men who allegedly tried to scam the celebrity pair.
The 49-year-old retired postal worker told a Manhattan court that he and Tito Moses, a 31-year-old ex-con, tried to sell the video back to the couple, asking for amounts ranging from $250,000 to $1 million (US).
The men allegedly made the demands in phone calls to Anthony’s production company between Dec. 20 and 27, 2005, thinking they were speaking with one of the singer’s representatives, but prosecutors say they were speaking with an undercover detective. The cop apparently balked at the million-dollar demand and managed to haggle Wortman and Moses down to $250,000.
After the alleged deal was made, Wortman and Moses apparently agreed to meet the officer for dinner to make the exchange and that’s when they were arrested.
J-Lo and Anthony married in June 2004 and the footage of the nuptials was stored on Anthony’s laptop, which was in his Cadillac Escalade when it was stolen in October 2005.
The vehicle was found in Newark, N.J., but the computer was nowhere to be found.
Wortman pleaded guilty to attempted grand larceny – a misdemeanour – in exchange for a sentence of three years probation.
Moses pleaded guilty to attempted grand larceny two weeks ago in exchange for a sentence of 18 months in prison. His case also involves the theft of Anthony’s SUV.
