Oh, the price paid for reporting the facts.
The Associated Press reports two journalists who wrote stories about alleged Mafia attempts to extort money from actor Steven Seagal have reported to police that they have been threatened by unknown assailants.
According to AP, Ned Zeman, who wrote a story for the October issue of Vanity Fair, told police he was pulled over Aug. 26 by an unknown motorist who pointed a gun at him and said “Stop.” In June, Anita Busch, who wrote a similar story for the Los Angeles Times, reported having her car windshield smashed in and a dead fish and a rose placed under a roasting pan on her hood. A note that read “Stop” was left on the driver’s side window.
Even though there are similarities in the threats made to the reporters, police have yet to make a link between the two cases and are investigating them separately.
Both journalists were reporting on a federal grand jury indictment involving Julius Nasso, a filmmaker who was Seagal‘s former business partner. According to AP, Nasso was arrested in June and charged with conspiring with the Mafia and attempting to extort money from Seagal. AP reports that federal prosecutors in New York have taped evidence of Nasso and a member of the Gambino crime family planning the shakedown. Nasso has pleaded innocent to extortion.
Officials at both publications have told AP they are taking steps to protect Zeman and Busch.
“After discussions with law enforcement, we took the measures recommended to ensure the safety of our reporter,” David Garcia, a Los Angeles Times spokesman, told AP.
Vanity Fair spokeswoman Beth Kseniak said, “We are taking the threat seriously, and we’re taking security precautions.”
Seagal has been working on his next film, Half Past Dead, which is due for release in November. His attorney, Martin R. Pollner, told AP he is in touch with the police to determine if these threats pose any harm to his client but says Seagal is not taking any chances.
“He does not travel alone, let’s put it that way,” Pollner said.
