Weho Man Accused of Extortion

A West Hollywood resident has been accused of trying to extort millions of dollars from wealthy individuals.

The Wall Street Journal, the New York Post, the New York Daily News and the Smoking Gun website, among others, are reporting that aspiring actor Vivek Shah threatened the families of film executive Harvey Weinstein, Groupon co-founder Eric Lefkofsky and three others.

Shah is alleged to have mailed letters to these five people demanding millions of dollars be wired to an offshore account, saying that without the money he would kill various relatives.

Shah was arrested at his parents’ home in Schaumburg, Illinois on Aug. 10, two days before he was to return to California to begin handgun training, the papers report.

Shah is currently being held without bail in West Virginia, where he was indicted earlier this week.