Stephen Poludniak

Stephen E. Poludniak was an attorney who was convicted, with Elizabeth Eagleton Weigand, of attempting to blackmail United States Senator Thomas Eagleton of Missouri during his 1980 re-election bid.

Weigand, who was Eagleton's niece, and Poludniak, who was Weigand's attorney, threatened to go public with a false claim that Eagleton was bisexual unless Eagleton paid $220,000 for Weigand's minority interest in a family business.

Eagleton reported Poludniak and Weigand to authorities and they were prosecuted. Both Poludniak and Weigand plead guilty. Poludniak was sentenced to prison. Eagleton won re-election to the United States Senate in the 1980 election.

Eagleton told reporters that the extorted money was to be turned over to the Church of Scientology.

External links

* [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F06E3DA1739F934A2575AC0A967948260&n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fSubjects%2fE%2fExtortion%20and%20Blackmail 1981 New York Times article on appeal from criminal case]

* [http://www.digl-watch.info/weigand_archive.htm Associated Press reports on Poludniak's criminal case]

* [http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/missouristatenews/story/AD9D8F788E573862862572940064A176?OpenDocument Eagleton obituary mentioning the blackmail attempt]

External sources

"United States v. Stephen E. Poludniak and Libby Wiegand", No. 80-00143 CR (1), United States District Court for the Second District of Missouri