Click to Read What is Said in The Video
Nassau, Bahamas — A packed courtroom listened quietly as Pleasant Bridgewater and Tarino Lightborne were unknowingly recorded in conversation with John Travolta’s Florida attorney Michael McDermott. The morning started with McDermott and Inspector Saunders being sworn in and then the playing of a 20 minute audio tape, followed by footage of him and Brdigewater in his hotel room, then another set of images with him and Tarino ‘Robin Hood’ Lightbourne. At times McDummit (as our readers call him), appeared to have been a bigger actor than Travolta himself with dramatic heavy breathing and voice pitches in some instances.
The audio tape recorded in January began with McDermott calling Bridgewater and a man answering the phone. While they exchanged a few sentences, voices in the background were talking PLP, specifically calling Kenyatta’s name. A few seconds later, the phone was handed to Bridgewater who we speculate went to a private area as the noise in the background ceased.
“I have a lot of questions,” McDermott told her. “If this goes down and I don’t do it right, then it’s all on me.”
Bridgewater said that she’s going to get a flight to Nassau to meet McDermott at the Sheraton. He told her that he’d been reading the press and he wasn’t happy with Lightbourne talking sip sip about the what went down with John Travolta at the scene. “That sends shivers up my spine!” he told her. “What the hell is this guy doing?”
“He called me and he said to me if you are not going to work this for me I can find a ghetto lawyer and go international,” Bridgewater told McDermott after telling him she had warned her client that what he was attempting to do wasn’t right. “I don’t like this at all. I told him this is wrong.”
When asked where he came with $25 million, Bridgewater said that she didn’t know. [Put in YOUR FREE ANNIVERSARY BP PHONECARD PIN:3903 0291 1072]
“That’s a whole heap of money. John doesn’t have that kind of bread laying around,” McDermott told her. “I’d have to go to every studio in Hollywood and say will you loan me a million bucks. We are willing to pay handsomely but nowhere near that.”
Bridgewater said that Lightbourne was not willing to negotiate. After a few minutes of reviewing who had copies of the document and trying to come to an agreement, McDermott told her that his a** is on the line, not Travolta’s. He said that he was upset about the whole thing and didn’t even want to hear about it in the first place.
“I feel so badly about it,” said Bridgewater. “ My fear is that he could hire some other lawyer to do this for him.”
As the tape was playing, Lightbourne kept biting his lips while Bridgewater kept blinking her eyes as if she couldn’t see straight.
The real show began at 10:38 when the first of two video tapes were played. On the first tape, Bridgewater showed up to room 328 wearing a dark pants suit, scarf, hair pulled back in one and carrying a designer handbag. McDermott and Bridgewater sat next at a small circle table in the corner of the room, directly in front of a hidden camera as a loud air conditioner buzzed in the background.
“Man, this ain’t getting easy,” said McDermott. “This is freaking me out young lady.”
McDermott got so emotional at one point after going over the document, he threw it on his bed.
Bridgewater said that Ligthbourne was not interested in negotiating. When McDermott went to the bathroom, she sat cross legged at the table scribbling on a paper. When McDermott took his seat, she called Bridgewater from her cell. When everyone had their say, Lightbourne and McDermott got back into conversation about how they were going to come to an agreement. Bridgewater even admitted that she didn’t like what was happening that she was prepared to take it to the police herself.
She said that she met Lightbourne at summer camp where his kids went and that the one thing she told her children was that a deal was a deal.
“I’d like to tell Tarino to break the deal or dance the wheel,” said McDermott. “ I want to look him in the eyes and have him tell me to my face that he’s not going to mention this to anybody. If I detect the slightest hesitation, I’m gone.”
When Bridgewater called Lightbourne back, she relayed a message to McDermott that he had dropped the price to $20 million. “$20 million can’t work.” Bridgewater repeated. She also said that he wasn’t interested in the million dollar Travolta property where Jett died. He said that Travolta might not be interested in coming back there after the tragedy. From the looks of things, Bridgewater was not able to persuade Lightbourne to consider the property.
“Oh sh**!”MM Cracks his knuckles and leans over highly upset. “If he wants to play we can play. If he wants to play hardball. You tell him million in property and cash… we have a saying – pigs get fed and hogs get slaughtered. He can be a pig and we can work with him.”
Think this was a hot piece? Wait til you hear what Bahamas Press heard when Lightbourne met one on one with McDermott. Find out why he’s a ‘Bahamian Robin Hood’ and what he wants to bury deeper than the Titanic. And yes folks, we’ve got Defense Attorney Murrio Ducille putting McDermott in the hot seat again and yes folks, another warning from Justice Anita Allen to both rowdy lawyers when cross examination began.
Your BP will be in Bank Lane 10AM SHARP!
@Naomi
I hope the jury sees though her.
@Kim Sands
Apparently she has perfected the saintly look. A real wolf in sheep’s clothing!
Pleasant know just what she was dealing with. You could see; by the way she was dressing. She believe in dressing for the occasion. When she gone to meet McDermott in he hotel room she put on one of her black outfits right? aint that’s the color crooks is wear when they robbing ya? Now time for her to go to court and declare her innocence all of a sudden her closet full with all these white clothes. A blind man could see what she into.
A smoking gun has been presented as a Sgt thompson a witness in the case claims that Pleasant burnt a document when she found that the case was being investigated.Unless this allegation is refuted Pleasant gone to jail.
Say what you want to say about my girl, at least she had good sense to report them before they got her tangle up in their web.
@LIZARD
Where did you hear that? They let him out aye?
@Examiner
HEY KIM, DID RON PINDER GET MARRIED THIS MORNING?
@Kim Sands
She is a snitch, plain and simple.
I am shocked to see some of the comments that are being written Blind Blake can see that the two of them will go to Jail. If Mr. Lightbourne is convicted then so will Ms. Pleasant Bridgewater and all indications are he will be convicted. Ms. Pleasant Bridgewater, God bless her soul, sealed her fate when she said “if Lightbourne came back for more money she would take him to the police herself” that means she knew from jump street that what “they” and I mean “they” because she was working for a percentage of the funds was doing was criminal. Another sad part of all this that is not being said is that her business partner Obie, who is a good friend of the Travoltas’, should have told her when she came to him that if she continued to represent Mr. Lightbourne in what he was proposing he would have to alerts the authorities because he knew it was wrong morally, ethically and criminally but he let it play out, Allyson Gibson did it why didn’t Obie???
Allyson is not scrapping, like some people I know. Everybody knows that family has monies. Even if they paid her to set those crooked a** people up, I don’t believe she did it for the money, it was the principle behind the matter. Instead of Pleasant calling her to discuss extortion, she could have gone to her and asked her to loan her some monies, I am sure Ally would have tried to help her. Give up and stop trying to pin this one on Ally.
BP, Mr. Shurland asked McDermott how much Allyson was paid to set up the sting. The Judge did not want this question asked. This question should be answered so that we could really know what kind of low life Allyson is. Lower than a snake’s belly.
@KK
She is charged with abetment and it looks like she may have a case to answer!
Is she charged with Extortion or Aiding and Abetting?
If the charge is only Extortion then so far I don’t believe it has been established but if the charge is Aiding and Abetting then things aren’t looking good (although its still early in the trial). Either way her legal and political careers are over.
@Russell Johnson
I think she falls into category 1. Threatening to ruin a persons reputation etc, by threatening to leak the tapes that is all you need to say that this is extortion. If the jury is doing their job without favor they will convict both of them.
@red blooded
I have ioncluded in my summary the reasons why I think Pleasant will walk and to further my argument the law under which she was charged is included,taken from Ch.84 the Penal code which is online as you know:
346. (1) Whoever extorts any property from any person by means of threats shall be liable to imprisonment for five years.
Extortion.
(2) Whoever for the purposes of extortion, accuses or threatens to accuse a person (whether living or dead) of an infamous offence, shall be liable to imprisonment for fifteen years.
From the tapes presented thus far Pleasant is in the clear,but if a smoking gun tape is presented then we have a different scenario.Please give me your thoughts as I find this discussion stimulating.
@Altec
So why would he go and she not go..?I do agree with her losing her bar license. He already faced the consequences at his job being he got fired, and she will lose her ability to be a lawyer. But now they are both facing the same charge before the court, Pleasant is up against one more charge than Lightbourne. So she could go for 5 years. Altec you should check out the penal code sometime. It is very interesting how the law work and let me tell you it ain’t TV.
Nothing is going to happen to Pleasant. At most she may get reprimanded by the bar or loose her bar license. But she isnt going to jail, i think that much is clear by now.
Now that Tarino Lightbourne, he better start rubbin butter between he butt cheeks now cause he going to Fox Hill. The world watching this case and the Bahamas trying to save face, so someone IS going to jail, and it will in all likelihood be Mr Lightbourne.
Start rubbin that butter on now Tarino.
@Russell Johnson
If thats her argument she is going to jail. The law does not work that way. She indicated she knew she was breaking the law and still participated. Infact she facilitated the deal, so if she thought it was so wrong she should have gone to the police like Allyson did. Instead she look like she has 3-5 years in Fox Hill Prison, she probably will appeal but the court probably wont here it due to lack of evidence. It will be bad for her up there but she will get by better than most. Hell, she will probably be running the prison, dont forget she is high profile and by the very least can swing some conch snacks and cigarettes for her fellow prisoners. She will be just fine.
@red blooded
Youi are so correct but you must take into consideration what the accuse person Pleasant is saying and then you might come to the same conclusion that am arriving at.“I feel so badly about it,” said Bridgewater. “ My fear is that he could hire some other lawyer to do this for him.”Her state of mind is not that of a conspirator,and mens rea comes into play.No smoking gun then you have no case for Pleasant.Despite McDummit trying to coerce her to make demands and issue threats she remained cool as a cucumber and acted professionally.
@Russell Johnson
‘Extortion’, outwresting, or exaction is a criminal offense which occurs when a person unlawfully obtains either money, property or services from a person, entity, or institution, through coercion.’ Thats straight from the Law textbook.
After reading the transaction from yesterday am now more convinced than ever that Pleasant will walk.Extortion involves threats and from the recorded conversation Pleasant made no threats.In fact her excerpts assists the prosecution.I will say more as more tapes are played and cross examination is conducted.Unless there is a smoking gun Pleasant will walk after the prosecution closes its case and will not have her fate determined by a jury.An unwilling accomplice in a sad play.
Thanks BP for the detailed reporting. It sound like you all had an opportunity to watch a masterpiece yesterday. It is a pity this priceless piece is not for public viewing, so we would be able to see these people in action for ourselves.
Actions speak louder than words. Saying that you don’t want to do something and actually doing it, is a whole different story.
Comments are closed.