Extortion Hearing : Defendant, Newswoman Heard on Phone Tapes

An alleged extortion plot against KTLA-TV anchorwoman Jann Carl was laid out Thursday in a series of tape-recorded conversations played during a preliminary hearing in Los Angeles Municipal Court.

Gil Cabot, accused of one count of extortion and one count of attempted extortion, sat quietly at the counsel table listening to a voice--identified as his--urge Carl to move quickly to stop publication of sexually explicit pictures.

“What’s important is for you and I to get together as fast as possible and to get this thing over with,” the voice said on one tape played for Judge Karl Jaeger, who will decide whether there is enough evidence to hold Cabot for trial.

The voice on the tape said it would cost $30,000 to destroy the pictures and a videotape. “Bring it in the form of cash,” the voice said at another point.

2 Accused

Cabot, 43, a Topanga man who has a Hollywood management company called Communication Arts, is accused along with Westside attorney Maurice J. Attie, 49. Attie has been charged with one count of extortion and one count of attempted extortion.

Authorities and KTLA officials say there are no tapes or pictures. Carl said she acted as if she were concerned about the threat to see whether it would lead to an attempted extortion.

The hearing began Wednesday and is expected to conclude today. It has focused on telephone conversations that began in April, 1988, according to evidence, when a man who identified himself as Terry called KTLA news director Jeff Wald to warn him that sexually explicit tapes of Carl were circulating in Los Angeles.

Later, another man--who said he was Christopher Wright--became involved in the conversations, evidence shows. Carl and Wald testified that the voices of Wright and Terry were identical to Cabot’s.

As the tapes were played, the narrative led from Terry to Wright to a man who identified himself as Cabot, who repeatedly said he was getting involved reluctantly to help Carl. He also said that after the videotapes were destroyed, he would like to work with her.

Arrested June 20

Cabot was arrested on June 20 at his offices on Sunset Boulevard. Attie surrendered later that day.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Antoinette Brown said it appeared that Cabot had two goals in mind when he began making the calls: He wanted to make some money, and he hoped that by helping to get rid of the tapes, he would ingratiate himself with Carl.

“I don’t think anything occurred today that indicates Mr. Cabot committed a crime,” his attorney, Roland Klein, said afterward. Cabot said no money changed hands.

But Brown said extortion is “the threat to do something.” The tapes need not exist, and the money need not be paid, she said.

“The crime is doing something to her reputation, her job, her employer,” Brown said.