Report names Pegula as extortion target

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) - A California man accused of trying to extort $13 million from a West Virginia coal executive and threatening to kill relatives if he didn't pay up has been indicted on federal charges.

A grand jury in Charleston charged West Hollywood resident Vivek M. Shah with four counts of interfering with interstate commerce and using interstate commerce to threaten extortion.

Investigators say Shah targeted five wealthy individuals altogether, but the affidavit names only Christopher Cline, owner of Foresight Reserves. The New York Post reports Sabres owner Terry Pegula as one of the people targeted by Shah.

The grand jury indictment came Wednesday, but court records show Shah was arrested in Chicago last week. It's unclear whether he has an attorney.

An affidavit by a U.S. postal inspector who investigated the case says Shah also uses the aliases Ray Amin and Rohan Gill, and has also lived in Schaumburg, Ill.