Richard Khamir Hurd, a former Baylor basketball player, is facing a federal extortion charge for allegedly threatening to release ”derogatory information” about Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III unless he was paid.
Hurd, 25, was arraigned Monday in federal court in Waco. His bond was set at $25,000.
A person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press that Griffin, the Washington Redskins’ rookie quarterback who once starred at Baylor, was the target of the alleged extortion attempt. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because authorities had not disclosed the fact.
Griffin was at an NFL rookie symposium Monday in Ohio, where players were not made available to reporters.
Court documents say that last week, Hurd contacted a representative from a St. Louis agency, threatening to publicize derogatory information about a client unless he was paid a ”substantial sum” of money. The representative is identified in documents only by the initials B.D.
Griffin’s agent is St. Louis-based Ben Dogra, who didn’t respond to messages Monday. The documents don’t name Griffin.
According to court documents, Hurd met at a Waco business Friday with someone who agreed to handle the transaction. After signing a non-disclosure agreement, handing over the information and receiving a check, Hurd was arrested by an undercover FBI agent, documents said.
