BEIJING, Dec. 14
(Xinhuanet) -- The former driver of Yoko Ono was arrested at his home in
Amityville, Long Island and arraigned Wednesday after she accused him of
attempting to extort 2 million U.S. dollars from her, threatening to make public
embarrassing photographs and threatening to kill her and her son Sean, according
to police department spokesman Paul Browne.
Koral Karsan, a 50-year-old former Turkish army
officer, had worked for John Lennon's widow for at least six years, driving
her on an almost daily basis when she was in New York.
"She is one woman who has been through enough," Ono
spokesman Eliot Mintz said. "For an employee -- especially a trusted
employee who drove her -- to attempt a shakedown has left her just
absolutely shocked."
Karson allegedly threatened to publish photos of Ono
wearing pajamas and tapes of her private phone calls if she refused to give him
millions of dollars. He also alluded to killing her and her son, Sean Lennon,
police sources said.
Karson, a Turkish immigrant, made the extortion
request and threats in a note he dropped at the Dakota apartment building, where
Lennon was killed, on Dec. 8, his death's 26th anniversary. Yoko Ono still lives
there. Investigators managed to subsequently tape him while he repeated the
threats to some associates of Yoko.
The suspect denied any wrongdoing and accused the
73-year-old artist of sexual harassment Wednesday night as police led him
from the 20th Precinct stationhouse.
"She's just trying to stop me from pursuing a sexual
harassment case," Karson said.
(Agencies)
|
