Stevie Wonder blackmailers plead not guilty
2012-07-27 07:29
Los Angeles - Two people charged with extorting singer Stevie Wonder have pleaded not guilty in a Los Angeles court.
District attorney's spokesperson Jane Robison says Alpha L Walker and Tamara Diaz entered the pleas on Thursday and will return to court in the future for a pretrial hearing.
Walker is Wonder's cousin and is accused of trying to extort the Grammy-winning musician over a video that portrays Wonder negatively.
Walker and Diaz, his girlfriend, were arrested in May after receiving $10 000 from Wonder's attorney in a police sting.
Walker's attorney says his client simply made a movie about his life and his actions are protected by the First Amendment, which guarantees freedom of speech.