Paramedic charged over alleged extortion plot

Last Updated: 7:02PM GMT 27 Jan 2009

A paramedic in the Bahamas has been charged in connection with an alleged plot to extort $25 million from John Travolta following the death of his teenage son at the family's holiday home on Grand Bahama.

Ambulance driver Tarino Lightbourne has been charged in connection with an alleged plot to extort $25 million from John Travolta following the death of his teenage son Jett. Photo: GETTY

Ambulance driver Tarino Lightbourne, 47, was led handcuffed into a Bahamian court, where he pleaded not guilty to charges of attempting to extort and conspiracy to extort from the Hollywood star.

The development follows the arrest of Pleasant Bridgewater, a lawyer and former Bahamian senator, who was last week charged with abetment to extort and conspiracy to extort in connection with the alleged scheme. Released on $40,000 bail, she has vowed to prove her innocence but on Saturday resigned from her seat in the legislature.

Details of the alleged extortion remain unclear but Bernard Turner, the prosecutor in the case, said investigators were looking for a "certain document" thought to relate to the death of Jett Travolta, 16, who was chronically ill and died of a seizure on January 2.

Police have said the alleged scheme involved $25 million. Lightbourne, who had earlier been quoted by several tabloids describing efforts to revive the teenager, was denied bail.

Travolta's lawyers filed a complaint of attempted extortion after learning that Lightbourne had allegedly claimed to be "in possession of a document that, if released, would prove damaging to the Travoltas", said Marvin Dames, senior assistant police commissioner.

The information was allegedly communicated to the family by Bridgewater, Mr Dames said.

Lightbourne was arrested after police issued an alert that he was wanted for attempted extortion and was considered dangerous.

Another parliamentarian, Obie Wilchcombe, was detained on Friday, questioned and released pending further investigation. He has not been charged and Mr Dames said on Monday police had nothing "at this stage of our investigation to implicate him".

Wilchcombe has described himself as a friend of Travolta who was with the actor shortly after his son died following a seizure at the family's holiday home on Grand Bahama.

He said he first alerted the star's lawyers to the alleged plot after Bridgewater told him "someone was doing something untoward" after the boy's death.

"She (Bridgewater) knew I was close to the Travoltas. She wanted to bring something to my attention," Wilchcombe told Us magazine in an interview published Saturday. "I did a noble thing." Pulp Fiction and Grease star Travolta and his wife, Kelly Preston flew home to Florida with the ashes of their son shortly after his death.