HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — The Michigan couple convicted of trying to extort $680,000 from John Stamos were each sentenced to four years in prison Friday.
Scott Sippola, 31, and Allison Coss, 24, were found guilty in July of conspiracy and using e-mail to threaten a person’s reputation. They were arrested last 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.
In a court document filed this week, Sippola apologized for his actions. "I sought to exploit my knowledge of the personal weaknesses of a perfect stranger for my own undeserved financial gain," he said. "I would be angry and hurt if that had happened to me and I am certain that Mr. Stamos feels that way towards me."
Stamos did not attend the sentencing, but he previously blasted the twosome after they were convicted.
"I am shocked and perplexed how individuals could fabricate so many false stories in an effort to defend a crime," he said. "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."
