FBI Unveils Attempted Blackmail Scheme Involving Giants’ Coach

[WSJ_law_blog]

New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin, Dec. 3, 2006, during the Giants’ 23-20 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

The Giants’ Monday night opener against the Browns isn’t till next month. But their coach, Tom Coughlin, is already making news — of a non-football variety.

Today, the FBI filed a criminal against a man, charging him with intent to extort money from Coughlin through the following alleged scheme (which is laid out in an FBI affidavit):

On or about July 30, 2008, Thomas Coughlin . . . received a letter via U.S. mail that had been mailed from Philadelphia, purportedly from two females identified as “ND” and “AB” who were claiming to have had sexual relations with Mr. Coughlin while he was in Philadelphia with the team during December 2007. The letter threatened that “ND” and “AB” would share this information with Mr. Coughlin’s wife and family unless he paid them $10,000-$15,000 each. The letter gave Mr. Coughlin until August 6, 2008 to make the payment or they would make his life “a living hell by doing something to [his] family.” . . .On or about July 31, 2008, Mr. Coughlin received a second letter. . .purporting to be from “ND” and “AB” which repeated the threat described above, included identifying information regarding Mr. Coughlin’s family, and which moved up the deadline for payment to August 5, 2008.

Todd A. Berry, the FBI agent who conducted the investigation, wrote the affidavit and filed the complaint, said he conduced interviews with “ND” and “AB,” who identified the handwriting in the letters as that of a former co-worker “who had previously written threatening letters.”

To us, there exist a dozen (or so) odd things about this. But of all the people to attempt to blackmail, why Tom Coughlin?