Puerto Rican TV Producer’s Extortion Convictions Hold on Appeal

A former radio and television producer in Puerto Rico lost his appeal to undo convictions for an extortion scheme Monday after the First Circuit said there was no basis to upset the verdicts.

There was enough evidence for the jury to find that Sixto Jorge Díaz-Colón made a threat designed to induce fear in an attempt to obtain property, the court said.

Díaz-Colón was charged with attempting to extort a government official by threatening to release communications that would be damaging to then-governor Ricardo A. Rosselló unless the official handed over $300,000.

The jury convicted him for attempted extortion, interstate ...