Twins pitcher Pavano target of extortion attempt
Ex-classmate alleges three-year gay affair
HARTFORD, CONN.— A high school classmate of Minnesota Twins pitcher Carl Pavano threatened to reveal an alleged homosexual relationship they had and to write a book about it unless Pavano apologized to him and bought him a navy Range Rover SUV with tan leather, according to a search warrant affidavit filed by police in Connecticut.
Police in Pavano’s hometown of Southington, about 30 kilometres southwest of Hartford, said in the affidavit that they began investigating the allegations after Pavano’s sister, Michelle Degennaro, complained in December that she had received several troublesome Facebook messages from the classmate, Christian Bedard. Degennaro told police that Bedard made up a bogus story about having a relationship with her brother in an attempt to extort her family.
Officers executed the search warrant at Bedard’s home on March 21 and seized items, but wouldn’t say what they were. Bedard said on his Facebook page that police took his laptop computer, material relating to his relationship with Pavano and the book he was writing. Bedard hasn’t been charged.
The search warrant affidavit, first reported by the Record-journal of Meriden, Conn., includes copies of several Facebook messages Bedard allegedly sent to Degennaro. In the messages, Bedard said Pavano was his “first love” and they had a threeyear relationship when they were teenagers, the affidavit says.
“I have serious juicy book offers . . . to the point that the only way your brother is getting out of this . . . is with a heartfelt apology and a navy range rover with tan leather,” Bedard allegedly wrote to Degennaro, according to police. “If I’m going to drop a 1.2 million dollar book deal I want something. “That is my best offer an apology and a land rover and I’ll kill the project,” Bedard wrote referring to the book deal, according to the affidavit. Bedard told the Associated Press in a statement that he wanted an apology because of how Pavano treated him at the end of their relationship. He didn’t elaborate. Bedard, a 36-year-old real estate agent, later rescinded his offer to Degennaro in another message, police said. “I’m up to 5 depositions of friends who I trusted with the secret of carl and I’s relationship,” Bedard wrote, according to the affidavit. “Then I called my attorney . . . the book is the best deal.” Degennaro told police that Bedard also demanded that Pavano pay a substantial amount of money to him or he would reveal personal information about Pavano to the media. Pavano couldn’t be reached for comment. He wasn’t with the Twins on Thursday as the team prepared to play the Pirates in a spring training game in Florida. His agent, Tom O’connell, didn’t return a phone message. Pavano has been with the Twins since 2009, after a season with Cleveland and three with the Yan- kees, and is scheduled to start opening day next Friday in Baltimore. Bedard emailed a statement to AP. “I have been openly gay for most of my adult life,” the statement said. “For years, my physical high school relationship with Carl Pavano has been well-known to my close friends and family. Carl Pavano’s sister, Michelle Degennaro, contacted me on Facebook asking under what conditions would I not talk about my relationship with Carl.”
Bedard said he responded to her that he wanted an apology, and said his comments about wanting a Range Rover were made “in jest.”
“I did not attempt to extort money from Carl Pavano,” Bedard said. “I have not been charged with any crime. I will allow my local police department to conclude their investigation and I will have no further comment.”