Local News in Brief : Suspect’s Bail Raised

Bail for the key suspect in an extortion plot against KTLA-TV anchorwoman Jann Carl was raised to $100,000 because of a threatening letter she received from him last week, prosecutors said Wednesday.

Los Angeles Municipal Judge David Milton increased talent agent Gilbert Cabot’s bail from $3,500 late Tuesday after prosecutors provided him with a copy of the letter, which Carl received several days after Cabot’s arrest. Cabot concludes the two-page, handwritten letter by stating, “Remember: Everything that goes around comes around.” Deputy Dist. Atty. David Conn said he interprets the entire letter as a threat to Carl.

Cabot, 42, was not present at Tuesday’s hearing and remains free from custody. Conn said that if he does not surrender in the next day or two, he will ask the judge to issue a warrant for his arrest. Cabot and attorney Maurice Attie, 48, were arrested June 20 on charges that they tried to extort $30,000 from Carl in exchange for their assurances that sexually explicit videotapes of her never become public. The prosecutor said he believes no such tapes exist, and Carl too denies their existence.