Grand Jury Files New Corruption Charges Against Nathanson : Indictment: Ex-coastal commissioner is accused of trying to extort money from film producer, three others.

A federal grand jury Thursday filed new corruption charges against former Coastal Commissioner Mark L. Nathanson, alleging that he demanded an illegal $200,000 payment from Hollywood producer-director Blake Edwards and $400,000 from three others.

The new allegations expand on an indictment in May when Nathanson was charged with attempting to extort hundreds of thousands of dollars from a number of Hollywood figures, including actor Sylvester Stallone, former Fox Inc. Chairman Barry Diller, “Rocky” producer Irwin Winkler, and Sandy Gallin, superstar Michael Jackson’s agent.

Nathanson’s attorney, Stephen L. Braga, said he had not seen the latest indictment. But he contended that piling on the new charges was an effort by federal prosecutors to put pressure on his client to admit wrongdoing.

“It sounds like an obvious attempt to force Mr. Nathanson to give up his defense and plead guilty,” Braga said. “This tactic will not work, however, because Mr. Nathanson is not guilty and will so prove at his trial.”

U.S. Atty. George L. O’Connell, who is in charge of a wide-ranging probe of political corruption in Sacramento, could not be reached for comment.

However, in a press release, he outlined the new charges against Nathanson, 53, a Beverly Hills real estate broker who was appointed to his powerful Coastal Commission post in 1986 by Assembly Speaker Willie Brown (D-San Francisco).

The four new racketeering charges have been folded into an eight-count indictment filed in May that charged Nathanson with racketeering, extortion, conspiracy, obstruction of justice and filing false tax returns.

The additional charges, like the earlier ones, center on allegations that Nathanson misused his public office for personal gain.

The indictment alleges that Nathanson in June, 1988, demanded $200,000 from Edwards in connection with an application to improve property in Malibu. The Coastal Commission has broad powers to review projects along California’s 1,100-mile shoreline.

Edwards, whose films include the “Pink Panther” series and “Victor/Victoria,” could not be reached for comment Thursday.

The grand jury also charged that in January, 1990, Nathanson asked for $250,000 from Southern California developer Sheldon Gordon, who was embroiled in a dispute with the Coastal Commission over the amount of soil he moved in developing property in Malibu’s exclusive Sweetwater Canyon.

Gordon settled with the commission in May, after he had agreed to donate 80 acres to the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy as parkland.

Neither the developer nor his attorney could be reached for comment after the indictment.

The revised indictment also alleges that in April, 1988, Nathanson asked for $100,000 in connection with a luxury hotel project planned for the Sand and Sea Club property in Santa Monica. The City Council approved the project by developer Michael McCarty, but voters rejected the plan.

The fourth new charge involves Nathanson allegedly using his office in 1988 to extort $50,000 from Marin Advisors Investors VIII, a partnership with property in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The four new allegations have been added to 11 other racketeering acts included in the original indictment. Under the federal racketeering statute, Nathanson faces up to 20 years in prison plus forfeiture of the proceeds from the illegal activity if convicted.

Among the charges in the original indictment was that Nathanson, together with former state Sen. Alan Robbins, extorted close to $250,000 from a prominent San Diego hotel developer. Robbins agreed to cooperate with authorities and pleaded guilty to extortion and other charges. He is serving a five-year sentence in the federal prison camp at Lompoc.

Nathanson’s trial has been set for Feb. 10. His attorneys have filed motions in an attempt to have the charges against him dismissed.