An attorney for the aspiring actor accused of trying to extort millions from Harvey Weinstein and others says not to "rush to judgment."
"Before we rush to judgment, we need to wait until all of the facts are in," said Charleston, W. Va.,
attorney Troy N. Giatras said in a statement. “We are still in the process of gathering those facts. I have had limited discussions with my client and expect to have more when he arrives in West Virginia in the coming week."
Also read: Harvey Weinstein Extortion Suspect Indicted
Shah, who has appeared in small roles in "Bones," "Outsourced," and "The Dark Knight," was arrested two weeks ago. The West Hollywood resident is accused of threatening to kill at least one member of Cline's family if Cline didn't wire the money to an offshore account, authorities said.
A criminal complaint said Shah sought handgun training only days before he was arrested.
An affidavit in the case said Shah tried to shake down four other people besides Cline. One of the alleged victims, identified in the complaint only as "a Connecticut resident and co-founder of a movie studio," was Weinstein, the co-founder of Miramax and The Weinstein Company.
Shah is charged with two counts of interference with commerce by threats and two counts of transmitting threatening communications in interstate commerce. If convicted, he could be sentenced to forty years in prison.