Struggling actor Vivek Shah was arrested earlier this month after he allegedly attempted to extort millions of dollars out of Harvey Weinstein, the co-founder of Groupon, two oil executives, and a coal magnate, NYMag is reporting. Shah apparently sent "demand letters" to them, threatening to kill a member of their families if they didn't deposit a large amount of money into an offshore bank account. Also, randomly, he reportedly used actress Helen Mirren's return address when sending the letters.
Shah, who's appeared in a few films in small roles and apparently has pictures with just about everyone - Tom Cruise! Angelina Jolie! Milla Jovovich! Steve Buscemi! Akon! - was reportedly "days away" from receiving handgun training upon his arrest. According to his father, speaking to the New York Post, Shah is "a very good person...he was pressured by someone, and they threatened they would kill Vivek."
You can read the full affidavit for the case over at The Smoking Gun.
[via NYMag]
