“Extortion and threats” on The Daily Caller

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Rep. Gabrielle Giffords condition is improving and she is now in serious condition at a hospital after being shot in the head about a week ago. (more)

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — An Indiana woman who ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Congress last year was being held Saturday on charges she made threats against judges and other officials on her Facebook account. (more)

NEW YORK (AP) — Convicted mob boss John “Sonny” Franzese is so old, he knew Frank Sinatra in his heyday. He’s so old, his recent extortion trial became nap time — even when his turncoat son took the witness stand against him. (more)

NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) — A judge in the Bahamas dismissed charges Monday against two people accused of trying to extort money from John Travolta after the actor decided he no longer wanted to face the pain of a new trial stemming from the death of his teenage son on the island chain. (more)

AMSTERDAM (AP) — The Dutchman charged with killing a 21-year-old Peruvian woman and suspected in the disappearance of U.S. teenager Natalee Holloway has acknowledged extorting money from Holloway’s parents and says he did it to get back at them. (more)

NEW YORK (AP) — The former television producer who tried to blackmail David Letterman was freed Thursday after four months in jail for a plot that put a spotlight on the comic icon’s office affairs, city Correction Department records show. (more)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A Kentucky woman was convicted Thursday of demanding millions of dollars from Rick Pitino to keep secret their one-night stand in a restaurant, then claiming the Louisville basketball coach raped her after he reported the extortion. (more)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A longtime aide to Rick Pitino told jurors that the Louisville men’s basketball coach asked him to give $3,000 to a woman who said the coach got her pregnant in a one-night fling at a restaurant. (more)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino is used to answering questions from reporters. (more)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Opening statements will begin Monday in the case of a woman charged with trying to extort University of Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino, then lying about it to the FBI. (more)

MARQUETTE, Mich. (AP) — An attorney for actor John Stamos denies the “Full House” and “ER” star had a romantic fling with a 17-year-old girl who six years later is accused of scheming to bilk him of hundreds of thousands of dollars by threatening to sell compromising photos to the tabloids. (more)

LONDON (AP) — The father and brother of an actress who starred in the Harry Potter movies have been charged with threatening to kill her. (more)

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A South Carolina sheriff dealt drugs from his police SUV and when state and federal agents gave him a list of possible drug dealers in his county, he immediately started calling to tip them off or extort money to get them off the list, according to the FBI. (more)

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — A Roman Catholic bishop in Brazil says he strongly supports the police investigation of three priests in his region accused of sexual abuse. (more)

NEW YORK (AP) — A judge has turned down a TV producer’s request to toss out a criminal case accusing him of blackmailing David Letterman over the comic’s love life. (more)

BEIJING (AP) — Google must obey China’s laws and traditions, Beijing said Tuesday, an indication officials won’t budge in negotiations after the search giant threatened to pull out of the country if Internet restrictions aren’t relaxed. (more)

NEW YORK (AP) — A television producer accused of blackmailing David Letterman over the late-night comic’s love life is set to find out whether a New York City court will toss out the criminal case against him. (more)

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A New Orleans man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for threatening to kill President Barack Obama. (more)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pennsylvania State Police say a man prepared a sniper’s perch in an upstairs bedroom at his home before fatally shooting a trooper who arrived to investigate a domestic-abuse call. (more)