Woman indicted in extortion case involving Rick Pitino - wave3.com-Louisville News, Weather & Sports

Posted by Charles Gazaway - email

LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - Karen Sypher, the woman at the center of the extortion case against University of Louisville men's basketball coach Rick Pitino, was indicted Tuesday afternoon by a federal grand jury.

Sypher, the estranged wife of U of L men's basketball equipment manager Tim Sypher, was indicted on charges of extortion and lying to the FBI.

A criminal complaint filed in federal court last month says Tim Sypher brought Pitino a written list of demands from his wife. According to the complaint, Karen Sypher wanted college tuition for her children, two cars of her choice, her house paid off and $3,000 per month. The complaint goes on to say those demands were later withdrawn when she asked for $10 million instead. Court documents only say that Pitino believed the request was related to an encounter in 2003.

Karen Sypher will be arraigned on the charges Wednesday afternoon. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, the extortion charge and lying to a federal agent charge carry combined potential penalties of imprisonment up to 7 years, a fine of up to $500,000, and a term of supervised release of up to 6 years.

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