Paula Deen -- Extortionist Sentenced to 2 Years in Prison
Paula Deen Extortionist Sentenced 2 Years in Prison
The man who allegedly attempted to extort $250,000 from Paula Deen has just been sentenced to 2 years in prison, TMZ has learned.
As we reported, a man named Thomas Paculis contacted Deen's attorney claiming he would release "true and damning" information about the celebrity chef's n-word usage if he didn't receive a huge check. The FBI tracked Paculis down and he was subsequently arrested and charged with two counts of extortion.
Paculis struck a plea bargain with prosecutors last month, agreeing to plead guilty to one count of extortion. In exchange, prosecutors dropped the remaining count.
Paculis was sentenced today to 2 years in a Georgia prison, plus one year of supervised release and 40 hours community service. He has already been remanded into custody.
Interestingly, the court also ordered Paculis to attend substance abuse counseling. We called Paculis' attorney to find out why -- so far, no word back.