Rob Ford's friend Alessandro Lisi will stand trial for extortion in relation to efforts to obtain a video that appears to show the former mayor smoking crack cocaine.
A preliminary hearing into the case ended on Thursday afternoon with Ontario Court Justice Mara Greene committing Mr. Lisi to trial at a date that has yet to be determined. Mr. Lisi's next court appearance on the charge will be on May 27. His lawyers have indicated that Mr. Lisi wishes the case to be heard by a jury. All evidence presented over the course of two weeks at the preliminary hearing is under a publication ban.
Police allege Mr. Lisi used threats, violence or "menaces" to try to force convicted gang member Liban Siyad to hand over a cellphone video that appeared to show the former mayor smoking crack cocaine. Mr. Siyad last year pleaded guilty to gang-related, gun and drug charges. Mr. Lisi is alleged to have made the threats in the days after news of the crack video surfaced in May, 2013.
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Police charged Mr. Lisi with extortion in October, 2013, at the same time police Chief Bill Blair confirmed officers had recovered from a laptop obtained in a guns and gangs investigation a video that was consistent with news reports.
Last September, Mr. Ford was subpoenaed to testify in relation to the extortion case. About the same time, Mr. Ford – now an Etobicoke city councillor – was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer that forced him to abandon his bid for re-election as mayor. He is scheduled to undergo surgery on May 11.
Mr. Lisi also is on trial on drug charges, and that case is expected to continue later this month.