The head of the Absolute Fighting Championship (UFC) Dana White was at the center of a major scandal. American real estate agent Ernesto Ramos sued the functionary, accusing him of violating the agreement, according to which White supposedly had to pay $ 450 thousand for not disclosing his name in the case of extortion six years ago.
The conflict originates in October 2014. According to the American media, the disposal of Ramos was a video of an intimate nature, in which the promoter cheats on his wife with a dancer and part-time girlfriend of the agent. The video was secretly recorded by the girl herself on a mobile phone. Her name was not called, but it was reported that the functionary repeatedly resorted to her services for two years. In total, she received from him about $ 200 thousand.
Ramos decided to use the information received. He began to blackmail the functionary, demanding to pay $ 200 thousand. Otherwise, he threatened to publish a scandalous video on social networks.
However, White, according to media reports, did not succumb to blackmail and filed a lawsuit against him in Las Vegas. At the disposal of law enforcement agencies was a video in which the president of the UFC transfers the agent money. In January 2015, Ramos was arrested by FBI agents on charges of extortion.
The case received a wide public outcry, but White's name did not appear anywhere. It was only known that the prosecution was a wealthy entrepreneur who runs a large business in Las Vegas (the UFC is based in this city). It was also indicated that he has a wife and children. The decision on non-disclosure of the name of the victim in any public documents was signed by a federal judge.
Initially, Ramos denied his guilt, but in November 2015 he confessed. According to his lawyers, this was done immediately after the accused allegedly made an agreement with a businessman who promised to pay Ramos $ 450 thousand for pleading guilty. This allowed Ramos not to testify in court, thereby avoiding the mention of the name White.
However, he never received money, and in 2016 he tried to take his confession, saying that he was pressured. His lawyers insisted that the guilty verdict was unfair, and asked for the opportunity to provide evidence of his innocence. However, the court rejected the request of the defense. In June of that year, the agent was sentenced to a year in prison.
According to lawyer Ian Christofferson, representing Ramos, the head of the UFC refused to fulfill his part of the agreement after his client pleaded guilty in court.
“White resorted to fraudulent and tough actions to force Ramos to plead guilty and agree with him about significant monetary compensation for not disclosing information about him in court. It was beneficial to White personally, as well as to related companies, ”cites Christopherson's ESPN.
In addition, Ramos continues to deny his guilt, saying that he did not blackmail the businessman. According to him, the promoter's lawyers provided false information to law enforcement agencies.
Meanwhile, White has already reacted to the new accusations against him.
“Five years ago, this guy ended up in federal prison for trying to blackmail me. Now he has hired a lawyer, a former criminal, like himself, and is again trying to extort money from me - $ 10 million. He didn’t get anything from me last time, he won’t get this one either. “I can’t wait until the court dismisses his lawsuit and I will get rid of these bastards forever,” the Las Vegas Review Journal quoted White as saying.
Indeed, eight years ago, Christofferson was accused of violating tax laws and was temporarily deprived of a lawyer's license. In 2018, he was allowed to return to his activities.