Kwon gets up to 5 years in extortion of Dion’s husband

Friday, May 13, 2005 | 10:01 a.m.

A man convicted of demanding millions of dollars from Celine Dion's husband to silence a rape allegation was sentenced to one year in jail and 16 months to 5 years in prison on Thursday.

Ae Ho Kwon was found guilty of one count each of extortion, conspiracy to commit extortion and being a participant witness in the solicitation of a bribe for trying to blackmail Dion's husband, Rene Angelil.

A criminal investigation into allegations Angelil sexually assaulted Kwon's wife, Yun Kyeong Sung, at the Imperial Palace was closed by police after Kwon and Sung failed to promptly give police a red jacket that the couple claimed contained evidence supporting their allegations.

On Oct. 28 a Clark County jury had found Sung guilty of the same charges. She and Kwon received the same sentence.

After Chief Deputy District attorney L.J. O'Neale attacked Kwon's integrity saying he had done nothing but lied throughout both his and his wife's cases. During the trial, Kwon said, "I have never told a lie."

But when Kwon was given an opportunity to address the court formally before District Judge Jackie Glass levied his sentence he declined to comment.

A key piece of evidence in both trials was a videotape of a meeting during which lawyers for Kwon and Sung tried to convince a lawyer for Angelil, to pay $13.5 million.

Prior to the meeting, Angelil's lawyer had reported to Metro Police that he believed Angelil was the target of an extortion plot. A detective acting under the guise of Angelil's business manager arranged and secretly taped the meeting.

In the taped meeting, which occurred in January 2003, Sung and Kwon are seen to say little, letting their lawyers, Joseph Hong and Michael Olsen, do most of the talking.

Kwon and Sung had already received $2 million from Angelil to keep a fondling allegation quiet when, in 2002, they allegedly renewed demands for more money, this time claiming Angelil raped her on the March 2000 night in question, authorities said.

On the tape, the couple's lawyers said that if the money wasn't paid Kwon and Sung would conduct "a bombardment in the mass media" aimed at destroying Angelil's reputation.