[Billman]

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I'm almost completely sure Laak paid off Grant, and at the stakes they were playing for it was at least $100K. However, I think that Laak has possibly misplayed his hand here.

The act of payment transforms Grant's crime from a difficult to prove case of attempted blackmail to a much easier to prove case of successful blackmail (by reason of the money trail). I'm not sure under whose jurisdiction this would fall, but if the US authorities investigate and decide to press charges it could easily get into the mainstream news and even become a feature segment of 20/20 or similar.

Do we have any legal experts who can comment on exactly what criminal statute the blackmail would violate, what US authority or authorities would handle it, and what evidence would be required to launch an investigation ?

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My guess is that nobody is going to touch it. How can you prove extortion when both parties won't admit it? Phil's not going to tell anybody Tom shook him down and Tom's not going to admit any payments were for keeping his mouth shut. Just an exchange of money between two old friends.