Karen Sypher Guilty On All Counts

((HT: WDRB-TV Louisville))

A jury has convicted Karen Sypher of attempting to extort millions of dollars from Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino after the two had sex in a restaurant in 2003.

The jury delivered the verdict after deliberating a little over five hours over a two day period.

Sypher was convicted of extortion, lying to authorities and retaliating against a witness. She faces a max of 26 years in prison, but under federal sentencing guidelines, the penalty shouldn't be that bad.

Here's Chris Turner outside in the shade again for his liveshot after the verdict was read...


The line of the tourney comes from Karen Sypher's son, Jacob Wise, as he was walking out of the courtroom. Wise, according to witnesses, clapped his hands sarcastically and shouted out, "Thanks for taking my mother away, guys!"

Sentencing is set for October 27th. She is free on bond until then...

Pitino Extortion Trial Day 6: More Testimony Against Sypher

((HT: Fox 41/Louisville))

Day six of the testimony in the Rick Pitino extortion trial centered around:

One of Karen Sypher's divorce attorneys who thought the head basketball coach at Louisville deserved what he was going to get from Sypher. Dana Kolter, was the lawyer who penned the letter to Pitino threatening a lawsuit, and he almost was drawn to tears as he testified.

One ex-husband of Sypher, Randy Wise, testified about how he heard his ex-wife describe what she planned to do to Pitino. Another man, Tyree Fields, also testified that he had an affair with Karen Sypher as her marriage to Tim Sypher was deteriorating. He testified that Sypher knew what she was doing with the extortion claim was "stupid."

Chris Turner has the afternoon patrol for our friends at Fox 41...

Pitino Extortion Trial Day Four: Pitino Grilled About Encounter With Sypher

((HT: WDRB/Fox 41 Louisville))

It was another fun day on the stand for Louisville head men's hoops coach Rick Pitino. Karen Cunagin Sypher's attorneys got their shot at him...

Pardon the pun...

And it also led to some testy exchanges between Pitino and James Earhart.
Chris Turner had the dayshift again outside the courthouse...


Pitino's testimony ended after two hours Thursday.

Karen Sypher's ex, Tim, testified that she first started making rape allegations in 2007, when their marriage started going in the toidy. He also said his ex-wife, two years later, started talking about things she "wanted from Pitino."

Tim Sypher's testimony continues Friday.
The HQ is thrilled we've made it to Day 5...

Pitino Comments On Extortion Case

((HT: WDRB-Fox 41))

For the first time, U of L men's basketball coach Rick Pitino is talking about an alleged extortion plot. He held a news conference Friday to introduce new associate coach Ralph Willard, who leaves a head coaching job at Holy Cross to join Rick Pitino's staff.

But he also spoke in response to a question about an alleged criminal scheme to extort money from him. Karen Sypher is the woman at the center of an FBI investigation.

"My job is to focus on the University of Louisville and the basketball program," Pitino said. "And I've got to do the best job. Times aren't easy, but I'm not going to lie to you and I'm not going to talk about it. Times aren't easy, but if I can get through 9/11, I can get through anything in my life. And I got through 9/11 and there's nothing ever going to come close to that. We'll get through this in a positive way and move on. I'm going to coach here until I retire, and there was no truth to the Sacramento Kings, there's no truth to any speculation at all that's been said, very little truth has been said, period, in this town in a long time. And the truth will be told at a certain time. But I'm going to be coaching here because I love the University of Louisville, I love the city of Louisville. I love the state of Kentucky. Nothing will deter me from that job, nothing will stop that."

Previously, sources have told Fox 41 News the alleged extortion attempt involved "millions of dollars" and was of a "personal nature" not related to basketball.

Here's your proof, thanks to our friends at Fox 41 in Louisville...
Tom Lane was on campus...


Karen Sypher, however, maintains she was set up ((From WHAS-TV))

"She doesn't have a job and has taken to going to Mass every weekday morning. Except when she has to pick up her children from school, she stays home and out of sight, dreading the next time she might end up on the front page of the newspaper.

Karen Cunagin Sypher, a 49-year-old former model and auto glass saleswoman accused of trying to extort Louisville men's basketball coach Rick Pitino, says she feels shunned.

"I feel like I'm in a horrible movie that is just ... ," she said, trailing off during an interview in the office of her attorney, Thomas Clay. "I was set up from the very beginning and I'm still being set up and I am going to prove my innocence."

Federal prosecutors accuse her of demanding the good life -- cars, a house and $10 million -- from one of college basketball's millionaire superstar coaches in exchange for keeping quiet about what an FBI affidavit characterizes as unsubstantiated allegations describing "an interaction between Mr. Pitino and an unnamed woman as criminal in nature."

Cunagin Sypher has pleaded not guilty to federal charges of trying to extort money from Pitino and of lying to the FBI. Her maximum prison sentence if convicted on both counts could be seven years. She is free while awaiting her trial, scheduled to begin later this month, though her attorney has asked for a postponement.

The case began in April, when Pitino said through the university that he and his family had been threatened "as part of a criminal scheme to extort money" and he reported it to the FBI. Pitino, who is married and has five children, told an FBI agent he and the woman had an unspecified "encounter" in 2003, according to an affidavit filed with the criminal complaint charging Cunagin Sypher.

"The notion that she is being set up is absolutely ridiculous," said Pitino's attorney, Steve Pence of Louisville. "Karen Sypher is charged with a very serious crime and she is looking at very serious time in jail if she is convicted."

Tim Sypher, Karen's estranged husband and a longtime Pitino aide who is the team's equipment manager, came out for his boss, saying in a statement he was "devastated by the bizarre allegations that my estranged wife is making against Coach Pitino and myself."

Clay would not allow his client to discuss details of the case, allowing her to say only that Pitino had introduced her to Tim Sypher. The Syphers, whose divorce is pending, were married in 2004 and have a 4-year-old daughter.

Cunagin Sypher has four sons, ages 13 to 21, from a previous marriage; the oldest two attend the University of Louisville, she said.

Tim Sypher served as Pitino's personal assistant with the Boston Celtics from 1997-2001, then followed Pitino to Louisville in 2001.

Pitino, 57, is the only coach to take three different schools to the Final Four -- Louisville, Providence and Kentucky, where he won a national title. In addition to the Celtics, he coached the New York Knicks.

The criminal complaint says Tim Sypher brought Pitino a written list of demands from his wife that included college tuition for her children, two cars, having her house paid off and a stipend of $3,000 per month. The complaint said an attorney she hired later escalated those demands to $10 million.

Cunagin Sypher said she fears Pitino's popularity and clout in a basketball-crazed city means she'll be sent to prison. She said she is considering applying for food stamps, and choked back sobs while vowing she will not give in.

"Do you back down? Do you show your children that the justice system doesn't work?" she said. "Or do you show them that it does work?"

Karen Sypher Pleads Not Guilty

((HT: WDRB/Fox 41))

The woman at the center of an alleged extortion plot involving U of L Basketball Coach Rick Pitino enters a not guilty plea to charges ((courthouse picture, thanks Bill Luster/Louisville Courier-Journal)).

Karen Sypher was indicted Tuesday on charges that she used another person to try to extort money from Coach Rick Pitino and also make a false statement to a federal agent.

Wednesday she said there is another side to the story and that justice will prevail. "I feel like there has been a very dark cloud over my family that follows us, that is so unjust and just unfair."

After making a brief appearance in U.S. District Court to enter a not guilty plea, Karen Sypher thanked a group of family and friends who turned out in her support: "It makes me so much stronger than I am already... (I want to) tell my story."

And her attorney, Thomas Clay, said, "I think we can tell them that the presumption of innocencen is alive and well. Her version will come out."

The FBI says Sypher asked a family friend to make phone calls to U of L Basketball Coach Rick Pitino in February of this year in an attempt to extort "millions of dollars" from the coach.

An affidavit states Sypher later lied to federal agents about knowing the identity of that person but later admitted to giving Pitino's number to Lester Goetzinger, a family friend. The FBI says the alleged extortion attempt centers around an encounter Sypher had with Pitino in 2003.

Sypher and her attorney Thomas Clay say they are prepared for trial, which is set for June 29th. Sypher says, "Justice will prevail. I have to believe in the justice system. I have to."

In a lengthy interview with Fox 41 News, Sypher made several claims about Pitino which this news organization is still investigating. Court records show Pitino asked Sypher what she wanted. Sypher says she produced a list of demands at a meeting with Pitino in early March at the Yum Center on U of L's campus.

The affidavit states her former attorney later sent a letter to Pitino's attorney asking for $10 million.

Sypher's younger son, Kaleb, said this issue has changed his family. "The last three years that I've known. It's been horrible. I feel for my mom, I don't know what else to say. It's been tough for my mom."

Here's the story from Louisville and our friends at Fox41...
Bennett Haeberle takes the lead...

Sypher Release Conditions Modified

((HT: WHAS-TV))

A federal judge has modified release conditions for the woman charged with trying to extort $10 million from Louisville men's basketball coach Rick Pitino.

Magistrate Judge Dave Whalin on Tuesday took out language that specifically barred Karen Sypher, estranged wife of Pitino's equipment manager, from speaking ill of Pitino.

Sypher's lawyer, Thomas Clay, said Whalin took the step to ensure the language did not infringe on his client's right to free speech.

Sypher was charged Friday in a federal criminal complaint that also accused her of lying to the FBI. She did not enter a plea and was released on her own recognizance.

The case is scheduled for a preliminary hearing May 13 at U.S. District Court.

Here's coverage from our friends at WDRB-Fox 41 in Louisville...

Karen Sypher Charged in Pitino Extortion Case

((HT: Louisville Courier Journal))

Six days after the disclosure that University of Louisville men’s basketball coach Rick Pitino was the target of an extortion attempt, a Louisville woman was charged today with extortion and lying to the FBI.

According to a criminal complaint filed in U.S District Court, Karen Sypher, with the help of unnamed others, tried to extort money from Pitino with threats to harm his reputation in connection with events that occurred in 2003.

The complaint, filed by FBI agent Steven J. Wight, said she lied to the FBI when she told investigators that she didn’t know the identity of the person who was making threatening phone calls to Pitino.

According to an affidavit by Wight, Pitino told investigators that he received three voice-mail messages in late February threatening to go public with criminal allegations against him.

Pitino said that after receiving the first two messages he met with Sypher and her husband, Tim, according to the affidavit, and asked what she wanted.

According to the affidavit, they discussed the possibility of a house, cars and money. The affidavit goes on to say that Tim Sypher delivered to Pitino on March 6 a written list of demands from Karen Sypher calling for college tuition for her children, two cars of her choice, a house paid off, $3,000 cash per month and a lump-sum payment of $75,000 if Pitino leaves U of L.

According to the affidavit, the note says, “If all is accepted, I will protect Rick Pitino’s name for life.”
The affidavit said she later withdrew her demands and through an attorney requested $10 million from Pitino.

The university disclosed last Saturday that Pitino had asked the FBI to investigate.

Pitino gave no specifics on the actions he claims are being taken against him, but said in the statement, “I intend to vigorously defend my reputation and the character of my family against any criminal scheme to extort money.”

Louisville attorney Thomas Clay later called the newspaper and confirmed that Sypher, his client, was under investigation. She is the estranged wife of U of L basketball equipment manager Tim Sypher.

FBI spokesman David Beyer confirmed that Pitino told the agency last month that he “was the victim of an apparent extortion and we have an ongoing investigation into the matter.”

News organizations, including The Courier-Journal, have interviewed Karen Sypher but elected not to report the nature of her allegations because they could not be corroborated and because she didn’t make any complaints to police.

Also, Clay said she would have no counterclaims against Pitino.

Both U of L President James Ramsey and athletic director Tom Jurich said in separate statements that they support Pitino and his decision to go to the FBI.

Fox 41's Candyce Clifft and Bennett Haeberle have the low-down...

The arrival of Karen Sypher can be seen here in black...

FBI Interviews Sypher, Others in Pitino Case

((HT: WDRB-Fox 41))

Fox 41 News has learned that in recent weeks the FBI has interviewed Karen Sypher, the woman at the center of the investigation into the alleged extortion scheme.

Sources, who chose not to be identified, tell us the interview between Sypher and the FBI lasted nearly five hours. The FBI also interviewed Tim Sypher and Karen Sypher's son at a Louisville hotel.

Pitino approached the agency in March claiming he had been threatened and the victim of an extortion plot.

Tim Sypher is the equipment manager for the U of L men' s basketball team. He is also the estranged husband of Karen Sypher. Recent court documents regarding their divorce have been stricken from the record because they could contain information about the alleged extortion plot.

In an exclusive interview with Fox 41 News, Karen Sypher made several claims about herself and Coach Pitino – claims this news organization has chosen not to broadcast because they could not be substantiated at this time.

Sypher did submit to a polygraph exam, but the results were inconclusive.
Karen Sypher's mother, Judy Cunagin, recently told us of the emotional stress her family has experienced.

"Nothing has ever happened like this before, nothing," Cunagin said. "She's never had, I don't think, a [traffic] ticket. She's never been questioned by anybody. She's a good person.
"I just want my daughter and my family to be safe. I want their safety."

Sources close to the matter have said the alleged extortion plot against Pitino involves "millions of dollars" and is of "a personal nature" not related to basketball.

At this time, no charges have been filed.

Thomas Clay, Karen Sypher's attorney, told Fox 41 News Thursday he did not expect anything to be filed this week, saying: "Things are up in the air."

Kenyon Meyer, Tim Sypher's attorney, said his client has "cooperated" with the FBI but would not provide further details.

Pitino's attorney, Steve Pence, could not be reached for comment.
Here's Fox 41's coverage from Thursday with Bennett Haeberle leading the way...