The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has declassified documents that shed light on a hit scheme that was proposed to Kobe Bryant by a man who offered his services to get rid of the athlete's rape accuser for money.
According to The Hill, the name of the would-be killer was redacted out of the FBI report, but the offer was made by Patrick Graber, who is a bodybuilder. He is said to have mailed a $3 million offer to Bryant through FedEx in 2003, hinting that he could make the NBA icon's problem "go away for a fee".
"The security for Bryant brought the letter to the attention of Bryant's attorney, who with security in turn contacted the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department", the documents read.
Bryant's accuser was also warned about the possible threat, according to the report.
The FBI documents specified that the hapless would-be killer was later arrested after several meetings were held with him. Federal authorities "paid" him with fake money used in Hollywood production.
Bryant, the late NBA icon, was accused by a Colorado woman of rape in 2003, but the charges were dropped after the woman refused to testify in court.
In January 2020, Bryant, alongside his daughter Gianna and seven other people, died in a helicopter crash in California. The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) ruled that the cause of the tragedy was the "spatial disorientation" of the pilot.