Posted Jun 24th 2009 5:15AM by TMZ Staff
Now we know where John Travolta was when his new movie "The Taking of Pelham 123" was in junket mode -- in South Africa, honoring his late son, Jett.
Travolta rented out the entire Eagles Crag Lodge on the Shamwari Game Reserve earlier this month for his family and close friends, according to hotel staff.
John and his family often traveled there on safari -- something his son truly loved. Someone from the staff said John made it clear he was there to honor Jett.
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Two Plead Not Guilty in Travolta Extortion Case
Filed under: John Travolta
Tags: jett travolta, JettTravolta, john travolta, JohnTravolta
Posted Apr 28th 2009 6:02PM by TMZ Staff
Pleasant Bridgewater and Tarino Lightbourne -- who allegedly conspired to extort John Travolta out of $25 million dollars -- have just pled not guilty in Bahamian court.
Bridgewater -- a former Bahamian Senator -- was charged with abatement to extort and Lightbourne -- Jett's EMT -- with attempted extortion. They allegedly tried to extort Travolta over information surrounding the death of his son, Jett.
We're told John and Obie Wilchcombe, a family friend, will be called as witnesses in the case.
The alleged extortionists' bail remains at $50,000 each.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, John Travolta
Tags: Bahamas, extort, Jett Travolta, JettTravolta, John Travolta, JohnTravolta, Pleasant Bridgewater, PleasantBridgewater, Tarino Lightbourne, TarinoLightbourne
Posted Feb 17th 2009 8:30AM by TMZ Staff
Tarino Lightbourne, one of the people accused of trying to extort John Travolta, was released from the pokey Monday after posting bond.
Lightbourne, an EMT in the Bahamas, had been hangin' in Fox Hill Prison since his arrest last month.
Lighbourne and a cohort allegedly tried extorting $25 mil from Travolta over a rather meaningless document connected with the death of his son, Jett.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, John Travolta
Tags: Bahamas, EMT, extortion, Jett Travolta, JettTravolta, John Travolta, JohnTravolta, Tarino Lightbourne, TarinoLightbourne
Posted Jan 28th 2009 12:50PM by TMZ Staff
Turns out Pleasant Bridgewater has not entered a plea in the John Travolta extortion case.
Under the laws of the Bahamas, Bridgewater elected not to enter a plea. She's charged with conspiracy to extort Travolta, along with EMT Tarino Lightbourne.
They're both back in court on February 11.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, John Travolta
Tags: john travolta, JohnTravolta
Posted Jan 28th 2009 11:58AM by TMZ Staff
We just got this shot of former Sen. Pleasant Bridgewater going into court to be arraigned in the John Travolta case.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, John Travolta
Tags: pleasant bridgewater, PleasantBridgewater
Posted Jan 27th 2009 7:40PM by TMZ Staff
We've now gotten to the bottom of the mystery document that was the basis for the alleged extortion plot in the John Travolta case.
Sources connected with the investigation tell us John Travolta told EMT workers he wanted to fly his son to Florida rather than drive by ambulance to the hospital....which was 45 minutes away.
There was a disagreement over which course would be better. John felt initially it might take the same amount of time to get his son to Florida where he might get better care.
The document at issue would have released emergency services from any liability if Travolta elected the Florida route.
In the end John realized the hospital was Jett's best hope.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, John Travolta
Tags: jett travolta, JettTravolta, john travolta, JohnTravolta
Posted Jan 27th 2009 4:45PM by TMZ Staff
We now know what the document is all about in the John Travolta extortion case.
Sources connected with the investigation tell us the document is an authorization for transporting Jett Travolta in the ambulance.
We're told John Travolta and Kelly Preston had an issue over where Jett Travolta should be taken for emergency treatment. We do not have further specifics, nor do we know why the alleged extortionists thought it was worth $25 million to keep private.
The Nassau Guardian has published a story saying it's a "refusal to transport" document. The paper cites the Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police Marvin Dames, who says the document "is signed by a party when refusing, for example, emergency medical services from trained personnel."
Our sources say John and Kelly did not refuse treatment for Jett, but had an issue over where he should be treated.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, John Travolta
Tags: case, document, john travolta, JohnTravolta, mystery
Posted Jan 27th 2009 2:52PM by TMZ Staff
New details in the John Travolta extortion case. TMZ has learned why Bahamian cops are investigating Obie Wilchcombe, a member of Parliament and John's close friend.
Sources connected with the investigation tell us Pleasant Bridgewater -- the lawyer who has been charged with trying to extort $25 million -- told Travolta's lawyers during her alleged extortion negotiations that Wilchcombe would be getting between 1/4 and 1/3 of the loot. Sources say those conversations were taped and those recordings are in the custody of police.
We're also told there are no tapes of Wilchcombe discussing the matter with Travolta's lawyers.
Wilchcombe, who was detained by cops last week and is still under investigation, insists he had no part in the alleged conspiracy and did a "noble thing" by giving Travolta's lawyers a heads up.
Here's what's ironic...Wilchcombe said a few days back he believed only EMT Tarino Lightbourne was involved in the extortion, thus siding with Pleasant Bridgewater. Little did he know she tried implicating him.
BTW -- there are reports that the FBI is investigating the case. That's bogus.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, John Travolta
Tags: extortion, Extortionist, john travolta, JohnTravolta
Posted Jan 26th 2009 4:00PM by TMZ Staff
The ambulance-driving suspect involved in the Travolta extortion case was handcuffed and escorted into a Bahamian courtroom earlier today.
Tarino Lightbourne is accused of conspiring to extort $25 million from John Travolta. Details about the plot are still sketchy, but we know it involves a document related to the death of Jett Travolta. The prosecutor said officials haven't retrieved the document yet and are afraid if Lightbourne is released on bail he'll destroy it.
Lightbourne is still in custody. The prosecutor is asking the judge to refuse bail.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, John Travolta
Posted Jan 26th 2009 12:10PM by TMZ Staff
Bahamian police are holding a news conference now, talking about the alleged John Travolta extortion plot.
Senior Assistant Commissioner Marvin Dames just said Obie Wilchcombe still is under investigation, and EMT Tarino Lightbourne has been arraigned on extortion conspiracy charges. Former Senator Pleasant Bridgewater already has been charged with conspiracy to commit extortion.
As TMZ first reported, the subject of the alleged plot is NOT a photo. Rather, it is a document.
Wilchcombe, who was a close friend of the Travoltas and appeared on Larry King's show the night Jett died, is a member of Parliament and former Minister of Tourism.
If convicted, each charge carries a maximum sentence of five years.
UPDATE 2:20 PM ET -- The prosecutor in the case objecting to bail for Lightbourne. He says police are looking for a "certain document" and if Lightbourne is release, they may not be able to find it.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, John Travolta
Posted Jan 26th 2009 9:46AM by TMZ Staff
Police sources in the Bahamas tell TMZ Obie Wilchcombe still is under investigation for the alleged extortion plot against John Travolta.
We're told EMT Tarino Lightbourne will be charged formally today. The other alleged co-conspirator, former Senator Pleasant Bridgewater, already has been charged with conspiracy to extort.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, John Travolta
Tags: john travolta, JohnTravolta, Obie Wilchombe, ObieWilchombe
Posted Jan 25th 2009 5:35PM by TMZ Staff
Obie Wilchcombe -- who was very close to the John Travolta family -- has broken his silence, saying he had nothing to do with any extortion plot -- and it appears he thinks the woman charged with extorting John is clean as well.
Wilchcombe told Us Magazine he was approached early last week by Pleasant Bridgewater, who just resigned her seat in Parliament after being charged with conspiracy to extort on Friday. Wilchcombe says Bridgewater told him "someone was doing something untowards" and he was asked to forward the info on to Travolta's lawyers.
Wilchcombe, who was detained by Bahamian cops for questioning and released Friday, insists he was not involved in the alleged conspiracy and "never once [asked] for anything."
Here's what's interesting. Wilchombe says the attempted extortion was committed by "one single individual." It appears he's talking about EMT Tarino Lightbourne, who we're told is still in custody. But cops believe definitely more than one individual was involved because Bridgewater already has been charged with conspiracy.
Sources tell us Wilchcombe maintains Bridgewater got wind of the extortion attempt and told him so he could pass it along to Travolta's lawyers. Wilchcombe told Us Magazine he "did a noble thing" by giving Travolta's people a heads up.
As we reported yesterday, the initial extortion demand was $25 million and Travolta's lawyers set up the extortionists by pretending to negotiate. The extortionists allegedly haggled down to somewhere between 10 and 20 million dollars -- we're told somewhere in the middle. And, we're told, cops have recordings of conversations.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, John Travolta
Posted Jan 25th 2009 10:42AM by TMZ Staff
TMZ has learned Bahamian police have recordings of conversations in the alleged plot to extort millions from John Travolta.
We've learned Bahamian police are using the recordings in the investigation of Obie Wilchcombe, Pleasant Bridgewater and Tarino Lightbourne. As we first reported, the plotters haggled with Travolta's reps -- initially demanding $25 mil and then reducing their demand to the mid-teens. Some of those conversations were recorded.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, John Travolta
Posted Jan 25th 2009 10:40AM by TMZ Staff
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.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, John Travolta
Posted Jan 24th 2009 12:00PM by TMZ Staff
UPDATE 12:18PM ET: Pleasant Bridgewater has just resigned. See story below.
Oh the irony ... take a look at Obie Wilchcombe, the former "close friend" of John Travolta family and member of the Bahamaian Parliament, just after he was released from custody in connection with the alleged extortion plot.
TMZ broke the story that Wilchcombe, the former Minister of Tourism, was one of three people taken into custody in connection with the $20 million extortion plot against Travolta. We know the plot involves the circumstances surrounding Jett Travolta's death but we do not know specifics. The plot does not involve pictures.
Ironically, the day Jett died, Wilchcombe appeared on Larry King's show and talked about the details surrounding Jett's death. He was also recently quoted regarding the plot -- "I thought it was a despicable act. One person should not destroy the character of the country."
Turns out, it may take three. Two others were also taken into custody -- Pleasant Bridgewater, a Senator in Parliament, and Tarino Lightbourne, an EMT who tried to revive Jett.
Wilchcombe was released late yesterday pending further investigation. Bridgewater was charged with abatement to extort and conspiracy to extort and released on $40,000 bail. Lightbourne was still in custody as of last night.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, John Travolta
