报道截图显示,涉案的三名嫌疑人分别是41岁的孙晓蕾,她是Pasaca Capital的前员工;58岁的李华·斯特恩斯和64岁的佘晓东,这是一对来自内华达州的夫妇。 三人面临一项针对Pasaca Capital创始人黄春华的敲诈勒索指控。目前,他们尚未被收押,预计明年将接受审判。 帕萨迪纳高等法院的Rupa Goswami法官在初步听证会后作出上述裁决,期间黄春华就他与孙晓蕾的关系进行了为期两天的作证。 孙晓蕾于2022年4月被聘为该公司通讯和公共关系主管,尽管她此前的工作经历是私人教练。 现年60岁的黄春华表示,孙晓蕾从纽约搬至帕萨迪纳,住在公司提供的公寓,两人在大约六个月的时间里“自愿”发生了“五到六次”性行为,直至今年关系破裂。 黄春华作证称,2023年1月,在亚凯迪亚的一家星巴克,他遇到了孙晓蕾的朋友李华,李华提出孙晓蕾要求2亿美元以换取不公开偷拍的性爱视频。 黄春华认为这个数额“荒谬”,因为他没有那么多钱。最终,被告同意接受2000万美元,黄春华支付了60万美元的首付款。 黄春华表示,他担心这些视频的公开会损害他的商业声誉和家庭,影响与商业伙伴的合作,并破坏他30多年的婚姻。法庭记录显示,他的妻子今年曾提出离婚,但后来撤回了申请。 来自中国武汉的黄春华在听证会上表示,他想保护自己的商人和个人声誉,一旦视频曝光,他的家庭将遭受毁灭性打击。 在勒索事件发生后,黄春华聘请了律师和私人侦探,秘密记录与被告的对话,并向警方报案。2023年5月2日,李华在亚凯迪亚的一个公园被捕。次日,她的丈夫佘晓东在前往黄春华家时被捕。孙晓蕾于2023年5月4日自首。 孙晓蕾、李华和佘晓东均不认罪。 此案发生时,黄春华正与他在Innova Medical Group的两位前合伙人进行激烈的民事诉讼。Innova Medical Group是Pasaca Capital的子公司,在疫情期间向英国政府出售新冠抗原检测工具,盈利超过50亿美元。 黄春华指控两位前合伙人窃取了1.06亿美元的佣金,而他的前合伙人则指控他将资金挥霍在糟糕的投资和奢侈生活上,包括雇佣女友。黄春华否认了这些指控,但承认曾与公司另一名高管发生性关系。 孙晓蕾的律师Garo Madenlian在法庭上辩称,实际上并无敲诈勒索行为,因为孙晓蕾是在尝试“愚蠢地”谈判和解,因为她的律师曾在2023年初致信黄春华,指控他以工作为名将孙晓蕾诱至帕萨迪纳。 检察官未提交任何视频作为证据。黄春华作证称,李华在她的iPhone上给他看过一段简短的视频,但无法确定视频是否为秘密拍摄。 代表李华和佘晓东的律师David Lopez辩称,李华是在黄春华的指示下行动,以解决孙晓蕾的索赔问题。 黄春华承认,在与他沟通时,李华称呼他为“老板”,并承诺如果她能销售新冠检测试剂盒给拉斯维加斯的酒店和赌场,将给予她公司股份。 David Lopez表示,他们实际上是在为黄春华工作。 为了使被告接受审判,检察官只需证明犯罪的可能性。 Rupa法官裁定,检方证明了敲诈勒索罪名的关键要素——“曝光秘密”的威胁。敲诈勒索是一项重罪,最高可判四年监禁。 今年4月,一名匿名原告对黄春华提起民事诉讼,指控他性侵犯、性交易和其他不当行为。 黄春华的律师本周提交了反诉,指控原告、李华和佘晓东敲诈勒索。 https://www.sohu.com/a/808179629_121812009 https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2024-09-07/charles-huang-innova-pasaca-extortion-employee-sex-20-million BUSINESS Former employee of COVID testing tycoon ordered to stand trial for extortion Charles Huang, co-founder of Pasadena’s Innova Medical Group, arrives at L.A. County Superior Court in Pasadena to testify about an alleged plot to extort $20 million from him. (Ringo Chiu / For The Times) By Laurence Darmiento Staff Writer Sept. 7, 2024 3 AM PT Share A former employee of a Pasadena businessman whose company made billions of dollars selling COVID tests was ordered Friday to stand trial, along with two alleged accomplices, for attempting to extort $20 million from him by threatening to post sex tapes online. Sunny Xiaolei Sun, 41, a former employee of Pasaca Capital, and Lihua Stearns, 58, and Xiadong She, 64, a Nevada couple, will each face trial on one count of extortion in the alleged plot against founder Charles Huang. They are not in custody, with the trial expected sometime next year. BUSINESSFOR SUBSCRIBERS Inside the legal drama embroiling a Pasadena startup that grossed billions selling COVID tests July 17, 2024 Judge Rupa Goswami issued the ruling after a preliminary hearing in Pasadena Superior Court during which Huang testified over two days about his relationship with Sun, who was hired in April 2022 to be the chief of communications and public relations for his business, despite her background as a personal trainer. ADVERTISING Huang, 60, said Sun, who was living in New York, moved to Pasadena and was put up in a company condominium where the pair had “consensual” sex “five or six times” over the course of about six months — before their relationship broke down later in the year. Huang testified that at an Arcadia Starbucks in January 2023 he met with Stearns, a friend of Sun, who said that the executive wanted $200 million in exchange for not posting the surreptitious videos she had made of them having sex. Huang called the figure “laughable” because he didn’t have that kind of money, and he said the defendants eventually agreed that $20 million was a more reasonable amount. He said he made an initial payment of $600,000. ADVERTISEMENT The businessman said he took the threats seriously because the public release of the videos could discourage potential business partners from working with him and destroy his marriage of more than 30 years. Court records show his wife filed for divorce this year but then dismissed the petition. “I wanted to protect my reputation. As a businessman I have a reputation. As a private individual I have a reputation,” Huang, a native of Wuhan, China, said in the court hearing. “Once the video was exposed ... my family could absolutely be ruined.” After the alleged extortion started, Huang said, he hired an attorney and a private detective and began surreptitiously recording conversations with the defendants. He also informed sheriff’s deputies of what was happening, and Stearns was arrested May 2, 2023, at a park in Arcadia where she went to meet Huang. ADVERTISEMENT Her husband was arrested the next day after he went looking for her at Huang’s house in Arcadia. Sun turned herself in after the charges were filed on May 4, 2023. Sun, Stearns and She have pleaded not guilty. The case comes amid bitter civil litigation between Huang and his former partners at Innova Medical Group, a subsidiary of Pasaca Capital that grossed more than $5 billion selling COVID antigen tests to the British government during the pandemic. Huang has accused two former partners of stealing $106 million in commissions, while he has been accused by former partners, executives and business associates of wasting funds on poor investments and an extravagant lifestyle, including hiring his girlfriends. He has denied the accusations, though he admitted on the witness stand to having had sex with another executive at his companies. Sun’s attorney, Garo Madenlian, argued in court that no extortion actually took place, because his client was actually trying to “foolishly” negotiate a settlement after her attorney at the time sent letters to Huang in early 2023 accusing him of luring Sun to Pasadena under the pretense of a job. Prosecutors never presented any video as evidence. Huang testified that Stearns showed him a very brief video clip on her iPhone of him taking his trousers off, but it was unclear from the testimony if the video had been surreptitiously recorded. Attorney David Lopez, who represents Stearns and She, argued that Stearns was acting under the direction of Huang to help resolve Sun’s claims. Huang acknowledged that in communications with him Stearns referred to him as “boss” in Mandarin and that he had offered the woman shares in one of his companies if she could sell COVID tests to hotel and casino chains in Las Vegas. “They were trying to help,” Lopez said. “They are literally working for Mr. Huang.” To have defendants stand trial, prosecutors need only show probable cause that a crime was committed. Goswami ruled that the threat to “expose a secret” — a key element of extortion — was met by the prosecution. “It could be damaging on multiple different levels,” she said of the purported tapes. The crime, a felony, is punishable by up to four years served in a county jail. In April, an anonymous plaintiff filed a civil lawsuit against Huang, accusing him of sexual battery, sex trafficking and other wrongdoing. Huang’s attorneys filed a cross-complaint this week, accusing the plaintiff, Stearns and She of extortion.
报道截图显示,涉案的三名嫌疑人分别是41岁的孙晓蕾,她是Pasaca Capital的前员工;58岁的李华·斯特恩斯和64岁的佘晓东,这是一对来自内华达州的夫妇。 三人面临一项针对Pasaca Capital创始人黄春华的敲诈勒索指控。目前,他们尚未被收押,预计明年将接受审判。 帕萨迪纳高等法院的Rupa Goswami法官在初步听证会后作出上述裁决,期间黄春华就他与孙晓蕾的关系进行了为期两天的作证。 孙晓蕾于2022年4月被聘为该公司通讯和公共关系主管,尽管她此前的工作经历是私人教练。 现年60岁的黄春华表示,孙晓蕾从纽约搬至帕萨迪纳,住在公司提供的公寓,两人在大约六个月的时间里“自愿”发生了“五到六次”性行为,直至今年关系破裂。 黄春华作证称,2023年1月,在亚凯迪亚的一家星巴克,他遇到了孙晓蕾的朋友李华,李华提出孙晓蕾要求2亿美元以换取不公开偷拍的性爱视频。 黄春华认为这个数额“荒谬”,因为他没有那么多钱。最终,被告同意接受2000万美元,黄春华支付了60万美元的首付款。 黄春华表示,他担心这些视频的公开会损害他的商业声誉和家庭,影响与商业伙伴的合作,并破坏他30多年的婚姻。法庭记录显示,他的妻子今年曾提出离婚,但后来撤回了申请。 来自中国武汉的黄春华在听证会上表示,他想保护自己的商人和个人声誉,一旦视频曝光,他的家庭将遭受毁灭性打击。 在勒索事件发生后,黄春华聘请了律师和私人侦探,秘密记录与被告的对话,并向警方报案。2023年5月2日,李华在亚凯迪亚的一个公园被捕。次日,她的丈夫佘晓东在前往黄春华家时被捕。孙晓蕾于2023年5月4日自首。 孙晓蕾、李华和佘晓东均不认罪。 此案发生时,黄春华正与他在Innova Medical Group的两位前合伙人进行激烈的民事诉讼。Innova Medical Group是Pasaca Capital的子公司,在疫情期间向英国政府出售新冠抗原检测工具,盈利超过50亿美元。 黄春华指控两位前合伙人窃取了1.06亿美元的佣金,而他的前合伙人则指控他将资金挥霍在糟糕的投资和奢侈生活上,包括雇佣女友。黄春华否认了这些指控,但承认曾与公司另一名高管发生性关系。 孙晓蕾的律师Garo Madenlian在法庭上辩称,实际上并无敲诈勒索行为,因为孙晓蕾是在尝试“愚蠢地”谈判和解,因为她的律师曾在2023年初致信黄春华,指控他以工作为名将孙晓蕾诱至帕萨迪纳。 检察官未提交任何视频作为证据。黄春华作证称,李华在她的iPhone上给他看过一段简短的视频,但无法确定视频是否为秘密拍摄。 代表李华和佘晓东的律师David Lopez辩称,李华是在黄春华的指示下行动,以解决孙晓蕾的索赔问题。 黄春华承认,在与他沟通时,李华称呼他为“老板”,并承诺如果她能销售新冠检测试剂盒给拉斯维加斯的酒店和赌场,将给予她公司股份。 David Lopez表示,他们实际上是在为黄春华工作。 为了使被告接受审判,检察官只需证明犯罪的可能性。 Rupa法官裁定,检方证明了敲诈勒索罪名的关键要素——“曝光秘密”的威胁。敲诈勒索是一项重罪,最高可判四年监禁。 今年4月,一名匿名原告对黄春华提起民事诉讼,指控他性侵犯、性交易和其他不当行为。 黄春华的律师本周提交了反诉,指控原告、李华和佘晓东敲诈勒索。
https://www.sohu.com/a/808179629_121812009
https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2024-09-07/charles-huang-innova-pasaca-extortion-employee-sex-20-million
BUSINESS Former employee of COVID testing tycoon ordered to stand trial for extortion
Charles Huang, co-founder of Pasadena’s Innova Medical Group, arrives at L.A. County Superior Court in Pasadena to testify about an alleged plot to extort $20 million from him. (Ringo Chiu / For The Times) By Laurence Darmiento Staff Writer Sept. 7, 2024 3 AM PT
Share A former employee of a Pasadena businessman whose company made billions of dollars selling COVID tests was ordered Friday to stand trial, along with two alleged accomplices, for attempting to extort $20 million from him by threatening to post sex tapes online. Sunny Xiaolei Sun, 41, a former employee of Pasaca Capital, and Lihua Stearns, 58, and Xiadong She, 64, a Nevada couple, will each face trial on one count of extortion in the alleged plot against founder Charles Huang. They are not in custody, with the trial expected sometime next year.
BUSINESS FOR SUBSCRIBERS Inside the legal drama embroiling a Pasadena startup that grossed billions selling COVID tests July 17, 2024 Judge Rupa Goswami issued the ruling after a preliminary hearing in Pasadena Superior Court during which Huang testified over two days about his relationship with Sun, who was hired in April 2022 to be the chief of communications and public relations for his business, despite her background as a personal trainer. ADVERTISING
Huang, 60, said Sun, who was living in New York, moved to Pasadena and was put up in a company condominium where the pair had “consensual” sex “five or six times” over the course of about six months — before their relationship broke down later in the year. Huang testified that at an Arcadia Starbucks in January 2023 he met with Stearns, a friend of Sun, who said that the executive wanted $200 million in exchange for not posting the surreptitious videos she had made of them having sex. Huang called the figure “laughable” because he didn’t have that kind of money, and he said the defendants eventually agreed that $20 million was a more reasonable amount. He said he made an initial payment of $600,000. ADVERTISEMENT
The businessman said he took the threats seriously because the public release of the videos could discourage potential business partners from working with him and destroy his marriage of more than 30 years. Court records show his wife filed for divorce this year but then dismissed the petition. “I wanted to protect my reputation. As a businessman I have a reputation. As a private individual I have a reputation,” Huang, a native of Wuhan, China, said in the court hearing. “Once the video was exposed ... my family could absolutely be ruined.” After the alleged extortion started, Huang said, he hired an attorney and a private detective and began surreptitiously recording conversations with the defendants. He also informed sheriff’s deputies of what was happening, and Stearns was arrested May 2, 2023, at a park in Arcadia where she went to meet Huang. ADVERTISEMENT
Her husband was arrested the next day after he went looking for her at Huang’s house in Arcadia. Sun turned herself in after the charges were filed on May 4, 2023. Sun, Stearns and She have pleaded not guilty. The case comes amid bitter civil litigation between Huang and his former partners at Innova Medical Group, a subsidiary of Pasaca Capital that grossed more than $5 billion selling COVID antigen tests to the British government during the pandemic. Huang has accused two former partners of stealing $106 million in commissions, while he has been accused by former partners, executives and business associates of wasting funds on poor investments and an extravagant lifestyle, including hiring his girlfriends. He has denied the accusations, though he admitted on the witness stand to having had sex with another executive at his companies. Sun’s attorney, Garo Madenlian, argued in court that no extortion actually took place, because his client was actually trying to “foolishly” negotiate a settlement after her attorney at the time sent letters to Huang in early 2023 accusing him of luring Sun to Pasadena under the pretense of a job. Prosecutors never presented any video as evidence. Huang testified that Stearns showed him a very brief video clip on her iPhone of him taking his trousers off, but it was unclear from the testimony if the video had been surreptitiously recorded. Attorney David Lopez, who represents Stearns and She, argued that Stearns was acting under the direction of Huang to help resolve Sun’s claims. Huang acknowledged that in communications with him Stearns referred to him as “boss” in Mandarin and that he had offered the woman shares in one of his companies if she could sell COVID tests to hotel and casino chains in Las Vegas. “They were trying to help,” Lopez said. “They are literally working for Mr. Huang.” To have defendants stand trial, prosecutors need only show probable cause that a crime was committed. Goswami ruled that the threat to “expose a secret” — a key element of extortion — was met by the prosecution. “It could be damaging on multiple different levels,” she said of the purported tapes. The crime, a felony, is punishable by up to four years served in a county jail. In April, an anonymous plaintiff filed a civil lawsuit against Huang, accusing him of sexual battery, sex trafficking and other wrongdoing. Huang’s attorneys filed a cross-complaint this week, accusing the plaintiff, Stearns and She of extortion.
搞笑的是她跑错了会场,去了隔壁一个华人聚会,结果搞得大家莫名其妙
中国的亿是万万,就是一百个百万, 100,000,000。美国的亿是billion,是一千个百万,1,000,000,000。
你说的没错。 起初要的是2亿美金,被拒绝协商降到2000万。 为了避免误解,已修改