FILE – In this Dec. 11, 2017 file photo, Kevin Hart arrives at the Los Angeles premiere of “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A man was charged Wednesday with trying to extort money from Kevin Hart by threatening to release video he secretly shot of the actor and comedian with a woman in Las Vegas.
Los Angeles County prosecutors charged 41-year-old Jonathan Jackson with attempted extortion and extortion by threatening letter. Jackson remains in custody on $100,000 bail after his Monday arrest, jail records showed.
Prosecutors allege Jackson tried to extort an undisclosed amount from Hart in August then tried to sell the video to celebrity news websites.
It was not clear whether he had an attorney who could comment, but according to TMZ, Jackson, who goes by J.T., was a close friend of Kevin’s for more than 15 years and even attended his wedding.
Shortly after the charges were announced, Hart tweeted: “Mind blown…Hurt…at a lost for words and simply in complete disbelief at the moment. WOW.”
Attorney Lisa Bloom, who said in September that someone secretly filmed “bedroom images” of her client Montia Sabbag with Hart in a hotel suite, praised the charges.
“Montia and I are delighted that the alleged extortionist is being brought to justice,” Bloom said on Twitter. “As a crime victim in this case, Montia has fully cooperated with the police since the beginning.”
Without giving details, Hart apologized on Instagram when word of the video emerged in September to his wife and kids for what he called a “bad error in judgment.”
Emails to Hart’s publicists seeking further comment were not immediately returned.
The 38-year-old standup comic-turned-movie actor most recently starred in “Jumanji.”
