The Newfield man accused of trying to extort celebrity chef Paula Deen has been sentenced. 62-year-old George Paculis has been sentenced to two years in federal prison, along with a year of supervised release. Paculis allegedly tried to extort $200,000 from Deen. In August of this year, he pleaded guilty in federal court to trying to make a deal with Deen’s attorney to sign a nondisclosure agreement after he threatened to reveal damaging information about her to the public. Prosecutors dropped one of two charges against Paculis in exchange for the guilty plea. His threat was made around the time Deen lost major endorsements stemming from allegations that she had used racial slurs in the past. Paculis said his attempt to extort Deen was partially caused by troublesome economic times.
