Jury Finds Four Teamsters Union Members Not Guilty Of ‘Top Chef’ Extortion

The jury has decided and has given a not guilty verdict to the four Teamsters union members who were involved in the “Top Chef” extortion case.

On Monday, four Boston-based Local 25 union members, John Fidler, Daniel Redmon, Robert Cafarelli and Michael Ross, were acquitted on counts of conspiracy to extort and attempted extortion, according to Boston Globe reporter Maria Cramer (via E! News). They were initially accused of disturbing the filming of “Top Chef” Season 12. They allegedly threatened the crew and demanded that the non-union production company hire Local 25 members.

On Aug. 7, “Top Chef” host Padma Lakshmi testified about the incident that happened in 2014. According to her, the Boston union workers were mad for not being hired as the drivers by the show’s production company. The protesters allegedly shouted and threatened her during their rally and even made a derogatory remark about her.

“There was a lot of yelling, it felt like really serious schoolyard bullying,” Lakshmi told the jurors (via Boston Globe). “It drastically affected the whole production, not just that day.”

Aside from the yelling, Lakshmi accused Fidler of bullying her. “One guy came up to the car, and I had the windows down,” she added. “‘Oh looky here, what a pretty face . . . what a shame about that pretty face.’ I felt he was bullying me. I felt he was saying, ‘I might hit you’ . . . I was just petrified and wanted it to be over.”

However, despite Lakshmi’s testimony, the jurors did not hold the four union members accountable of extortion. The defense was very pleased with the result. “It’s been a long hard road for my client and his family. We’ve also felt this prosecution was misplaced. We’re glad the jury saw this case for what it was,” the defense attorneys said in a statement after the trial (via E! News).

On the other hand, the prosecution, U. S. attorney William Weinreb also issued a statement after the trial. In their letter, they expressed their disappointment about the verdict.

“We are disappointed in today’s verdict. The government believed and continues to believe, that the conduct, in this case, crossed the line and constituted a violation of federal law. The defendants’ conduct was an affront to all of the hard-working and law-abiding members of organized labor,” the statement reads.

“We will continue to aggressively prosecute extortion in all its forms to ensure that Boston remains a safe and welcoming place to do business. I would like to thank the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General for their work investigating this case.”

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