Pair plead not guilty to Stevie Wonder extortion

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Two people charged with extorting singer Stevie Wonder have pleaded not guilty in a Los Angeles court.

District attorney’s spokeswoman Jane Robison says Alpha L. Walker and Tamara Diaz entered the pleas Thursday and will return to court in the future for a pretrial hearing.

Walker is Wonder’s cousin and is accused of trying to extort the Grammy-winning musician over a video that portrays Wonder negatively. Walker and Diaz, his girlfriend, were arrested in May after receiving $10,000 from Wonder’s attorney in a police sting.

Walker’s attorney says his client simply made a movie about his life and his actions are protected by the First Amendment, which guarantees freedom of speech.