Police in Los Angeles, California, have arrested a Swiss bodybuilder for allegedly offering to kill the woman who has accused basketball star Kobe Bryant of rape, in exchange for $3 million.
The LA sheriff's department says Patrick Graber, 31, was charged with solicitation to commit a murder, after accepting what he thought was an advance of $1 million from undercover police and federal agents in a sting operation.
In a highly publicized court case, LA Lakers star Bryant is accused of raping a 19-year-old employee of a Colorado resort hotel in June. He maintains the sex was consensual.
The bodybuilding coach allegedly sent a letter to Bryant offering to make his accuser disappear. Bryant's security team turned the letter over to law enforcement authorities.
The alleged murder-for-hire scheme is not the first threat agaisnt Bryant's accuser. Police records show that the woiman's father has called police at least twice in recent weeks to report suspicious incidents. Earlier this month, a University of Iowa student was arrested on charges of threatening to kill her.