A couple was convicted Thursday of trying to extort $680,000 from actor John Stamos by threatening to sell old photos of him with strippers and cocaine to the tabloids unless he paid up. Allison Coss, 24, and Scott Sippola, 31, both of Marquette, were found guilty in federal court of conspiracy and using e-mail to threaten a person's reputation - charges that could land them in prison for up to five years. Police arrested the two in a sting in December at an Upper Peninsula airport after Stamos reported being the victim of an extortion attempt. Defense attorneys told the jury it wasn't a crime to offer the images to Stamos before going to the celebrity media. FBI agents, however, testified that a search of the couple's home, vehicles and computer failed to turn up any evidence of embarrassing pictures. Stamos, 46, was too late to the courtroom to hear the verdict but was present minutes later when the judge polled each juror. He smiled, looked relieved, and shook hands with the prosecutors.
