Feds Open Probe Into AMI Over Bezos Blackmail Threat

Deadline reports:

The owners of the National Enquirer now have a bigger problem than a pissed off and fighting back Jeff Bezos – the feds.

Just a day after the Amazon founder published a detailed overview of the attempts by the David Pecker run tabloid to halt his investigation into how private texts and photos got into the Enquirer’s hands and headlines, parent company American Media Inc is now facing a new probe by prosecutors

Officials at the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York have begun looking into the strong-arming allegations against Pecker and AMI that Bezos unveiled on Thursday, sources have confirmed to Deadline.

NEWS: Federal prosecutors are reviewing National Enquirer’s handling of its story about Jeff Bezos’ extramarital affair to determine if company violated immunity deal.

Deal says the tabloid was supposed to refrain from all illegal activity for 3-year period.@CBerthelsenBBG https://t.co/6KINVZREW9

— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) February 8, 2019

Immunity deal says if National Enquirer’s publisher commits any crime in 3-year window, it can be prosecuted for crimes it was granted immunity against (perjury, obstruction of justice).

Bezos says he was blackmailed. SDNY looking whether crime committed.https://t.co/UWKiPEcQta

— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) February 8, 2019

Scoop: Prosecutors are reviewing whether National Enquirer’s messages to Jeff Bezos about his affair violated tabloid’s deal to avoid prosecution over hush-money payments to women who claimed relationships with Trump.

If tabloid committed any crime in 3-yr window, no immunity.

— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) February 8, 2019