Travolta Friend, 2 Others Arrested in Extortion Plot

TMZ ^ | TMZ Staff

[outlawjake]

We've learned...Obie Wilchcombe, the former Minister of Tourism, was one of three people in the Bahamas who were arrested by Bahamian police in connection with an alleged $20 million extortion plot against John Travolta, local authorities tell TMZ.

Wilchcombe was a very close friend of the Travolta family. On Larry King's show he talked about how the family was coping with Jett's death.

[outlawjake]

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TMZ has confirmed Bahamian police are indeed investigating an alleged extortion plot against John Travolta, but it does not involve pictures of his dying son.

We’re told several people have allegedly demanded $20 million from John and cops are on the hunt. We have now confirmed that the alleged extortion attempt does not involve pictures of Jett as he was dying. As for what the extortion attempt is about....no one will say.

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http://www.tmz.com/2009/01/22/20-million-extortion-attempt-against-travolta/

[outlawjake]

oops forgot to include the update

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We’ve confirmed the alleged extortion is over the circumstances surrounding Jett’s death, but we have no more specifics

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http://www.tmz.com/2009/01/22/20-million-extortion-attempt-against-travolta/

[RummyChick]

Obie was at the hospital with the them according to his interview on Larry King Live.

You have to remember that Obie’s party was in power but went downhill after the Anna Nicole circus (I am getting this from news reports)

It was known to be a corrupt party.

It is quite possible that Travolta was friends with him for expediency purposes. ..or for whatever..since he was a powerful person - he is a member of Parliament...and the Travoltas had been going there for quite some time.

Obie is quite the character
http://www.bahamasissues.com/archive/index.php/t-7066.html

[outlawjake]

advice on traveling to the bahamas.. get in and get out...

[Kimmers]

I have never heard anything good about the Bahamas and people say when you go there you need to be very aware of your surroundings.....does not sound like a vacation destination to me.....

Of course I have no desire to travel outside US borders.

[outlawjake]

if in need of a tropical island.. there is always Hawaii..

[PistolPaknMama]

As for what the extortion attempt is about....no one will say.

Ok then that explains why I'm reading this and thinking I have no idea what this is about. Apparently nobody else does either.

[RummyChick]

We may never know what this was really about.

A. Photo

B. Info from Senator (and possibly his client), trusted friend, and EMT - that might be true or not true

The lawyers made a statement when this first came out about false claims..so I am going with “B”

With the knowledge that it might be none of it because Scientologists have been known to concoct very bizarre schemes for various reasons such as “Miss Blood”

http://www.lermanet.com/dangarvin/

The man that supposedly tried to extort Cruise ended up committing suicide.

[RummyChick]

The Senator reacts:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090124/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/cb_bahamas_travolta_son

It’s hard to form an opinion on this one.

On one hand, there is the corrupt Bahamian political structure -especially the party of the Senator...on the other hand..there is the cult of Scientology and massive amount of material available from victims and former insiders as to what Scientologists are capable of doing....

So we will have to see what happens next.

[Jane Austen]

After the way the Bahamas handled the case of ANC's son, I would stay away from it.

What happened with the rape charges against David Copperfield, allegedly having happened in the Bahamas?

[RummyChick]

Some of these Bahamian message boards are hard to read/understand.

A poster claims that Scientologist/Lawyer/Reporter Greta from Fox News is on her way to the Bahamas.

[RummyChick]

Now it is getting interesting.

One camp was negotiating with the other camp...but not seriously..just to get evidence..according to TMZ.

“The initial demand in the John Travolta extortion case was $25 million, sources connected with the investigation tell TMZ.

Here’s what we know about the allegations — Obie Wilchcombe (a member of Parliament and former “friend” of Travolta’s), former Senator Pleasant Bridgewater (she just resigned), and EMT Tarino Lightbourne made the initial demand and then began “negotiating” with Travolta’s people. We’re told Travolta’s reps “negotiated,” not to seriously entertain a payoff but instead to gather evidence against the trio.

Sources say “the negotiations” were in the $10 to $20 million range, with Wilchcombe, Bridgewater, and Lightbourne eventually saying they would settle for something in the middle.

Furthermore sources tell us, all three would have received a cut, and Wilchcombe would have received “a significant amount” of the loot.

Sources say Wilchcombe, who appeared on Larry King’s show the night Jett died to discuss the family’s grief, was “very much involved” in the alleged plot.

As we first reported the alleged plot involved the death of John’s son, Jett. We do not know specifics.”