Baseball Star's Wife Identified As Alleged Extortion Victim
Agent: Minister Tried To Get $20,000 Over R. Kelly Sex Tape
CHICAGO -- The alleged victim of an extortion plot by a Chicago-area minister has been identified as the wife of New York Yankees outfielder Gary Sheffield, NBC5's Anna Davlantes reported.
Images: Reverend Accused Of Extortion, Fraud
Video: Alleged Victim Identified
Rufus Williams, Sheffield's manager, released the information in a press conference Tuesday afternoon. Williams said the Rev. Derrick Mosley, a self-proclaimed community activist, tried to obtain $20,000 from him in exchange for a videotape that allegedly contains images of Sheffield's wife having sex with R & B star R. Kelly.
Williams said he went to the FBI after Mosley approached him about the tape. The agent then wore a wire to secretly record a conversation with the minister. During the conversation, Mosley allegedly told Williams that as a reverend, he could treat the money as a "counseling fee" to help Sheffield's wife atone for her sins.
"He said that he wasn't looking to destroy anyone's family," Williams said. "(He said) if that had been his mission, he would have gone ... he could have gone to the tabloids and gotten millions, given the people that were involved."
Williams said that by going to authorities, he was trying to do what was right.
"And to the extent that someone tries to benefit from what may have happened in someone else's past, be that you brought it on yourself or not, that is not right," Williams said.
Williams said that Sheffield's wife admits having had a relationship with R. Kelly, but that the relationship took place more than 10 years ago.
Mosley was also convicted on separate bank fraud charges in 1999. He was on parole for that conviction when he was arrested early Monday morning. If convicted of the extortion and wire fraud charges leveled against him in the latest incident, he could face 22 years in prison.
― Fritz Wollner (Fritz), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 18:17 (twenty-one years ago)
I like how the only one who comes out smelling good in this little morality play is a goddamn sports agent.Too bad he wasn't around in this story last October, regarding Sheff's relationship with All-Around Nice Guy Barry Bonds. Examples of petty behavior by Bonds, as described by Sheffield to SI:
Bonds insisted that Sheffield live at his house, not rent a car, and not pay for anything. Sheffield said he did bring his personal chef with him.
"[It was], 'It's my way or no way,' " Sheffield told the magazine. "I'm not a child. I make $11 million. I can buy what I want."
To show his thanks to Bonds for inviting him to stay in his home, Sheffield arranged for the two to see a boxing match in Miami in 2002.
"I was going to pay for the plane, the flight, pay for the limo service, the hotel," Sheffield told the magazine. "He gets my mail. He looks in my mail and sees he can get better seats, so he gets better seats. He can get a better flight, so he gets a better flight. He can get a better limo service. And he can get a better hotel. So basically my plan, in trying to do something in return, he wound up doing it. And [that sort of behavior] just escalated."
There also was a time when Sheffield arranged for a limo and tickets for the two to see a Lakers-Kings game in Sacramento.
"He complained the whole drive," Sheffield told the magazine. " 'Man, I could have drove. We would have gotten there a lot faster.' The whole time. And I'm saying to myself, Never again. Never again."
The breaking point occurred, Sheffield told SI, one morning when Bonds left for their workout without him, leaving Sheffield to find his own ride to the gym. When Sheffield arrived, he found Bonds laughing at him with someone he later learned was a writer for Men's Journal.
"He sold me out to the media," Sheffield said.
Sheffield ended the relationship soon after. According to SI, on the flight home to Florida with his chef, the chef told him, "Gary, I want to confess something. [Bonds] made an offer to hire me: He'll get me a car, give me a place to stay and pay off my student loan."
Sheffield told the magazine he and his chef soon parted ways. About a month later, Bonds called to inquire why the chef was no longer working for Sheffield -- without Bonds mentioning that he had hired him.
"That's the kind of person I found out I was dealing with," Sheffield told SI.
― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 20:56 (twenty-one years ago)
There also was a time when Sheffield arranged for a limo and tickets for the two to see a Lakers-Kings game in Sacramento."He complained the whole drive," Sheffield told the magazine. " 'Man, I could have drove. We would have gotten there a lot faster.' The whole time. And I'm saying to myself, Never again. Never again."
You can't write that shit. You just can't.
― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Wednesday, 17 November 2004 22:21 (twenty-one years ago)