All posts containing the tag: "TarinoLightbourne"
Posted Nov 5th 2009 3:45PM by TMZ Staff
The John Travolta jury had the votes to convict both Pleasant Bridgewater and Tarino Lightbourne of extortion, according to a newspaper report out of the Bahamas.
The vote was 6 - 3 in favor of conviction, according to The Punch newspaper. In the Bahamas it only takes 6 votes to convict.
The judge declared a mistrial because of jury misconduct. No announcement has been made if there will be a retrial.
Michael Ossi -- Travolta's lawyer -- tells TMZ, "John was very disappointed because he wanted closure."
Ossi says Travolta will "fully cooperate" with prosecutors in the future and wants another trial, whether it's in the Bahamas or the U.S.
Ossi says there has been no discussion about a plea bargain.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, John Travolta
Tags: john travolta, JohnTravolta, michael ossi, MichaelOssi, pleasantbridgewater, tarino lightbourne, tarinolightbourne
Posted Oct 6th 2009 12:55PM by TMZ Staff
John Travolta's lawyer just dropped a huge bombshell in open court -- dude just spit out a movie quote from "A Few Good Men."
It all went down after the people accused of extorting Travolta tried to turn the tables -- claiming Travolta's lawyer was the person who actually hatched the extortion plot.
But Travolta's lawyer, Michael McDermott, was furious -- and fired back, "You can't handle the truth! You can't handle the truth!"
The lawyer for the alleged extortionists replied, "You've watched 'A Few Good Men,' huh?"
The drama continues...
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, John Travolta
Tags: extortion, jett, john travolta, JohnTravolta, pleasant bridgewater, PleasantBridgewater, tapes, tarino lightbourne, TarinoLightbourne
Posted Oct 1st 2009 6:00PM by TMZ Staff
John Travolta's lawyer just testified the alleged extortionists were willing to get paid in installments over four years.
Michael McDermott testified that after a number of phone calls, Pleasant Bridgewater dropped the asking price for the alleged extortion document from $25 million to $15 mil ... but the Travoltas ended up agreeing to $10 million. McDermott testified he would be paid $2.5 million a year for four years.
McDermott said this was all a setup, because he gave police permission to tap his cell phone and set up a sting operation at a hotel room.
McDermott said after he met with both Pleasant and Tarino Lightbourne at the bugged hotel room, he got an email from Pleasant saying, "Please see wire instructions as requested."
Filed under: John Travolta
Tags: 10 million, 10Million, 15 million, 15Million, 25 million, 25Million, john travolta, JohnTravolta, money, pleasant bridgewater, PleasantBridgewater, tarino lightbourne, TarinoLightbourne, wire
Posted Oct 1st 2009 12:01PM by TMZ Staff
John Travolta's lawyer just testified the whole extortion plot was hatched because one of the defendants was starstruck.
Michael McDermott testified he got the call from Pleasant Bridgewater ten days after Jett died. He said Pleasant told him her client had a "Refusal of Transport/Treatment" document signed by Travolta and felt it was worth a lot of money.
Now get this: McDermott said Pleasant said her client, paramedic Tarino Lightbourne, had kept the document instead of turning it in ... because it was "signed by a celebrity."
McDermott said Tarino shopped the document -- which Tarino proved Travolta either intentionally killed his son or recognized he was negligent in the supervision of the child.
Tarino thought the doc was firm evidence Travolta wanted to flee the jurisdiction with his son's dead body.
McDermott said Pleasant told him ... "put it this way, the doc can be John's or the world's."
McDermott says Bridgewater acknowledged it was extortion, but Tarino didn't care.
Filed under: John Travolta
Tags: document, jett, john travolta, JohnTravolta, lawyer, pleasant bridgewater, PleasantBridgewater, tarino lightbourne, TarinoLightbourne, testify
Posted Sep 29th 2009 6:03PM by TMZ Staff
One of John Travolta's lawyers testified in the extortion trial today that one of the defendants claimed to have a document suggesting Travolta wanted his son, Jett, dead or was negligent in supervising his son.
Allyson Maynard-Gibson told the jury defendant Pleasant Bridgewater approached her and said she was representing Tarino Lightbourne, also a defendant. Gibson says attorney Bridgewater said she had warned Lightbourne that what he was doing was detrimental to the Bahamas, but Lightbourne still wanted to sell the document to Travolta, in return for it remaining private.
In reality, the document was irrelevant -- it merely released the medical professionals in the Bahamas from liability if Travolta decided to fly his son to Florida for medical help.
According to Gibson, Bridgewater told her Lightbourne said there was a big market for all things Travolta, claiming "Inside Edition," "Larry King Live" and Time Magazine wanted to know if he had photos or documents and what they were worth.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, John Travolta
Tags: jett travolta, JettTravolta, john travolta, JohnTravolta, larry king, LarryKing, negligence, pleasantbridgewater, tarino lightbourne, TarinoLightbourne
Posted Sep 29th 2009 10:20AM by TMZ Staff
The two defendants in the John Travolta extortion case are in deep trouble today -- the jury will see and hear the secret tapes which authorities say is the smoking gun.
Authorities say the secret police video shows the $25 million extortion plot in all it's glory.
Lawyers for Tarino Lightbourne and Pleasant Bridgewater tried keeping the video from the jury but the judge saw it differently.
We'll let you know how it goes down.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, John Travolta
Tags: bahamas, extortion, extortion trial, ExtortionTrial, jett, jett travolta, JettTravolta, john travolta, JohnTravolta, pleasant bridgewater, PleasantBridgewater, tarino lightbourne, TarinoLightbourne
Posted Sep 24th 2009 1:00AM by TMZ Staff
Secret police videos have captured the alleged extortionists in the John Travolta case in deep conflict ... with one defendant accusing the other of trying to settle way too cheap -- this according to law enforcement sources.
As we first reported yesterday, authorities have at least two videos of paramedic Tarino Lightbourne and attorney Pleasant Bridgewater demanding millions of dollars from John Travolta's lawyers, in return for not making a document public.
Our sources say Bridgewater is caught on tape demanding many millions of dollars, but another video shows Lightbourne outraged that Bridgewater demanded what he considered such a paltry sum. His demand was exponentially higher than hers, law enforcement sources tell TMZ.
We're told the videos show them haggling over money -- and although it's been reported the pair allegedly demanded $25 million, we're told they finally agreed to $15 mil.
We're also told lawyers for Bridgewater and Lightbourne will make a motion today to suppress the videos, on grounds they were illegally recorded.
And there's a sticky problem -- we're told one of the key Bahamian cops in the video sting was seriously injured "under suspicious circumstances" and is unable to testify.
Travolta has not finished testifying. We're told he has left the Bahamas and will return next week to complete his testimony.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, John Travolta, Exclusives
Tags: bahamas, extortion, extortion plot, ExtortionPlot, jett, john travolta, JohnTravolta, millions, money, pleasant bridgewater, PleasantBridgewater, secret video, SecretVideo, tarino lightbourne, TarinoLightbourne, testimony, video
Posted Sep 23rd 2009 2:00AM by TMZ Staff
We've learned John Travolta will be the first witness called today in the extortion trial over his son's death -- and after John steps down from the stand, there will be a legal dogfight in the courtroom over what could be the smoking gun in the case.
Sources say Travolta will testify for less than two hours. When he finishes, we're told defense lawyers will mount an objection to the introduction of a secret videotape which allegedly shows the attempted extortion played out.
The video was shot by authorities in the Bahamas. It shows Travolta's lawyers listening attentively as the alleged $25 million extortion demand is laid out on the table.
Prosecutors say former state senator/attorney Pleasant Bridgewater and paramedic Tarino Lightbourne threatened to release an essentially irrelevant document connected to Jett's death unless Travolta anted up.
We're told one video features Bridgewater and another vid puts the spotlight on Lightbourne.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, John Travolta, Exclusives
Tags: bahamas, extortion, jett travolta, JettTravolta, john travolta, JohnTravolta, pleasantbridgewater, tarinolightbourne
Posted Sep 22nd 2009 12:01PM by TMZ Staff
The first witness has taken the stand in the John Travolta extortion case and testified John initially wanted to take his son Jett to an airport instead of a local hospital.
Police inspector Andrew Wells testified paramedic/defendant Tarino Lightbourne told him John signed a form releasing medical professionals from liability in order to take the dying 16-year-old boy to the airport.
As we previously reported, John thought it would take just as long to put Jett on a plane to Florida -- where he could get better care than at a Bahamian hospital. John had a change of heart en route and Jett went to the hospital, where he later died.
Prosecutors claim Lightbourne and former state senator Pleasant Bridgewater tried extorting Travolta, demanding $25 million in return for not making the release form public.
John is in the Bahamas and could testify later today or tomorrow.
Filed under: John Travolta
Tags: andrew wells, AndrewWells, extortion case, ExtortionCase, john travolta, JohnTravolta, pleasant bridgewater, PleasantBridgewater, tarino lightbourne, TarinoLightbourne
Posted Sep 21st 2009 1:41PM by TMZ Staff
Three men and six women decide if John Travolta was the victim of attempted extortion in the death of his son Jett.
A jury is now in place in the case against paramedic Tarino Lightbourne and former senator Pleasant Bridgewater. Prosecutors say the defendants threatened to go public with a document that protected emergency responders from liability. Ironically, the document was irrelevant in Jett's death and it's baffling why the pair allegedly would think Travolta would pay $25 million to keep it under wraps.
Travolta will testify -- probably either tomorrow or Wednesday. We're told John's testimony will focus on his interaction with Lightbourne as they tried to save Jett and on his reaction to the alleged extortion demands.
Lightbourne and Bridgewater have both pleaded "100% not guilty" -- legal trivia: OJ Simpson pleaded "absolutely 100% not guilty" in his murder trial.
Filed under: John Travolta
Tags: extortion, jett travolta, JettTravolta, John Travolta, JohnTravolta, pleasant bridgewater, PleasantBridgewater, tarino lightbourne, TarinoLightbourne
Posted Sep 21st 2009 7:15AM by TMZ Staff
Sources connected with John Travolta tell TMZ the actor's testimony in the extortion trial over his son's death will focus on two issues -- John's interaction with a paramedic/defendant as they tried to save his son ... and John's emotional reaction to the alleged plot.
As we first reported, Travolta will travel to the Bahamas and take the stand this week in the trial of paramedic Tarino Lightbourne and former Senator Pleasant Bridgewater. The pair is accused of trying to extort $25 million from Travolta by threatening to go public with a document that could have relieved medical responders of liability. Ironically, the document had no relevance.
Sources say Travolta will testify about his interaction with paramedic Lightbourne, who tried to revive Jett Travolta after he suffered a massive seizure at the family's Bahamian vacation home.
We're told once the extortion demand was allegedly made, Travolta had no direct contact with any of the alleged extortionists. But sources say prosecutors will ask Travolta about his reaction once he learned of the plot just days after his son's death. This will almost certainly be the most dramatic and emotional part of the trial which could have enormous impact.
Our sources say Kelly Preston will not testify.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, John Travolta, Exclusives
Tags: bahamas, extortion, jett travolta, JettTravolta, john travolta, JohnTravolta, kelly preston, KellyPreston, Pleasant Bridgewater, PleasantBridgewater, Tarino Lightbourne, TarinoLightbourne, trial
Posted Sep 19th 2009 11:00AM by TMZ Staff
TMZ has confirmed John Travolta will testify next week at the extortion trial involving the death of his son, Jett.
Travolta will travel to the Bahamas to testify on behalf of the prosecution. Paramedic Tarino Lightbourne and former politician Pleasant Bridgewater allegedly demanded $25 million in return for not going public with a document which authorized paramedics to take 16-year-old Jett to a hospital via ambulance after suffering a massive seizure.
We're told Travolta and wife Kelly Preston are outraged by the alleged extortion plot which authorities say was concocted shortly after Jett's death.
Filed under: Celebrity Justice, John Travolta
Tags: 25 million, 25Million, bahamas, death, extortion, extortion plot, extortion trial, ExtortionPlot, ExtortionTrial, jett, jett travolta, JettTravolta, john travolta, JohnTravolta, kelly preston, KellyPreston, pleasant bridgewater, PleasantBridgewater, seizure, tarino lightbourne, TarinoLightbourne, trial
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
