HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — John Stamos is rejoicing after a Michigan couple were convicted Thursday of trying to extort $680,000 from the actor.
"I am shocked and perplexed how individuals could fabricate so many false stories in an effort to defend a crime," Stamos said in a statement posted on his Twitter page. "I agreed to be a witness for a federal criminal prosecution and endured countless false accusations about my behavior and appropriateness. The allegations made regarding an inappropriate relationship are completely untrue. These slanderous allegations to smear my reputation were part of their defense to redirect attention away from the federal crime of extortion."
Allison Coss, 24, and Scott Sippola, 31, were found guilty of conspiracy and using e-mail to threaten a person’s reputation. They were arrested in December after an FBI raid of their home turned up three photos of Stamos, a piece of paper with his cell phone number, and a list of three tabloid magazines with contact numbers for each. They claimed to have photos of Stamos with cocaine and strippers, but prosecutors said the compromising images didn’t even exist.
"There was no hot tub, no drugs, no nudity and nothing sexual in nature involved in my friendship with this woman," Stamos said. "They lied about everything from a pregnancy to compromising photos. I’m grateful these two criminals have been found guilty and I plan to go home to be with my family and friends and prepare to get back to work."
Coss and Sippola are facing up to five years in prison.
