This is griminess at its finest. A Los Angeles judge has ordered Stevie Wonder's nephew to stand trial on an extortion charge after hearing testimony that the nephew (some media outlets say he's Wonder's cousin) and his girlfriend attempted to sell a bogus film about the legend for millions of dollars.
In a preliminary hearing yesterday, the judge determined that prosecutors had presented enough evidence against Alpha L. Walker, and his girlfriend Tamara E. Diaz, for the case to move to trial . Both Walker and Diaz have been in jail since May, when they were arrested in a sting operation organized by Wonder's attorney and the LAPD.
Here comes the grimy part: According to local media, Walker had been threatening to sell a film with bogus information about Wonder to the tabloids, unless Wonder paid him 5 million dollars. The story Walker was planning to plant was that he was the product of an incestuous relationship between Wonder and his sister. In other words, Walker was threatening to tell everyone that he was Wonder's son and nephew AT THE SAME DAMN TIME. Wonder alerted the police, and co-operated in the sting against Walker, in which police posed as representatives of Wonder's, interested in paying him off. When Walker and Diaz met with police to complete the financial transaction, they were arrested on the spot.
A LAPD representative who interviewed Wonder for the case said that, although hurt by the false accusations, Wonder originally believed that paying Walker was the only way to keep the story from being sold to a news outlet and embarrassing him and his family.
However, attorneys for Walker have said that their client is innocent, and there isn't enough evidence to support the case. Both Walker and Diaz are schedule to return back to court on July 26th.
Ain't nothing like family right? SMH
(Source: Huffington Post)
Tags: Alpha L. Walker, blackmail, cousin, Extortion, LAPD, nephew, stevie wonder, TRIAL
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