A woman who has been linked to actor Kevin Hart in an alleged extortion plot held a press conference Wednesday to say that she, too, is a victim.
With her attorney Lisa Bloom, Montia Sabbag faced cameras Wednesday and said she was in an “intimate relationship” with the actor about a month ago and unknowingly photographed in the process.
Sabbag said she had nothing to do with a reported attempt to extort money from Hart.
“I’m not an extortionist, I’m not a stripper,” Sabbag said. “I’m a recording artist and an actress and I’ve not broken any laws. I had nothing to do with these recordings.”
Hart posted a contrite video over the weekend on his Instagram account apologizing to his pregnant wife, Eniko Parrish, and his children from his first marriage for “a bad error in judgment.”
“I’m at a place in my life where I feel like I have a target on my back,” Hart said. “And because of that I should make smart decisions. And recently, I didn’t.”
Hart said he’s not perfect, that he knows he was wrong and has apologized to those he has hurt. He then alluded to an extortion attempt.
“I’m not going to allow a person to have financial gain off of my mistakes, and in this particular situation that was what was attempted,” he said. “I said I’d rather fess up to my mistakes.”
Amid reports that the extortion attempt centered around footage of Hart and another woman, Sabbag said Wednesday “my name and my picture have been released and lies written about me.”
Bloom said her client is a crime victim as someone unknown to both Sabbag and Hart broke the law in secretly recording the two of them in his private hotel suite in Las Vegas.
“It is a crime to secretly put a camera in a private place like a hotel room,” Bloom said. “Montia is therefore the victim of multiple felonies under state and federal law.”
Bloom denied reports that Sabbag is seeking money from Hart.
The FBI would not confirm or deny an investigation into the alleged extortion case and the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office declined to comment.
Neither the Los Angeles Police Department nor the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department were aware of an investigation into an extortion case involving Hart or Sabbag.
Bloom said law enforcement has not been in contact with Sabbag, adding they planned to go to authorities to ensure the matter is investigated.
“We invite Mr. Hart to join us in bringing the perpetrator to justice,” Bloom said.
Hart’s attorney did not return multiple requests for comment from CNN.
