Hong Kong trio whose failed extortion bid used security video of tycoon’s celebrity wife undressing get 26 to 32 months in jail
- Three men, two of whom worked for businessman, tried to leverage video into whopping HK$100 million payoff
- But would-be victim called in police from start, beginning three months of negotiations that led to arrests
Three men who conspired to extort HK$100 million (US$12.9 million) from a Hong Kong business tycoon by threatening to release a video of his partially naked wife have been jailed for between 26 and 32 months.
The three accused, including two men who previously worked for the tycoon, blackmailed the victim last year into buying the 24-second tape, which depicted his wife, a well-known celebrity, getting changed at her home several years ago.
Pleading guilty to a joint charge of conspiracy to blackmail in the District Court last month, the trio claimed financial pressures pushed them into committing the offence.
Security guard Wong Hin-chung, who took the video, and delivery man Kwong Hung-kwong, the “frontman” who contacted the tycoon and pressed him for money, were both sentenced to 32 months in prison on Tuesday.
This case involved a serious invasion of privacy. Any normal and reasonable person would expect that he or she would be safe at home
Bodyguard Michael Tsui Man-kit, who acted as the middleman, was jailed for 26 months.