Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images for CinemaCon(LOS ANGELES) — The Los Angeles District Attorney announced today that a man has been charged for attempting to extort Kevin Hart with a sex tape.
Jonathan Todd Jackson was charged with one count of attempted extortion and one count of extortion by threatening letter for his actions in August 2017. According to prosecutors, he allegedly had a videotape that was shot in Las Vegas of Hart with a woman, and when the comedian refused to pay for the recording, Jackson attempted to sell it to several websites.
Last year, Hart apologized to his wife Eniko Parrish for the incident with an Instagram post saying, “I’m at a place in my life where I feel like I have a target on my back. And because of that, I should make smart decisions. And recently, I didn’t. I’m not perfect.”
He added, “I made a bad error in judgement and put myself in an environment where only bad things can happen and they did. And, in doing that, I know that I’m going to hurt the people closest to me — who I’ve talked to and apologized to: I’m thinking of my wife and my kids. “
The woman who allegedly can be seen in the video, Montia Sabbag, cooperated in the investigation. When Jackson launched his extortion attempt last year, Sabbag’s lawyer, Lisa Bloom, stated that Sabbag was a victim, not a suspect, and would work with authorities investigating the case.
Bloom said at the time, “I’ve spoken to Kevin’s attorney and established a friendly relationship. We’re on the same side, he agrees, and there doesn’t need to be any hostility or animosity. Let’s just catch the criminal who did this.”
If convicted, Jackson could receive a maximum sentence of four years in county jail.’
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