A man has been arrested for allegedly trying to extort $250,000 (nearly £170,000) from celebrity chef Paula Deen.
Authorities say the suspect, Thomas George Paculis, had threatened to go to the news media with "true and damning statements" he said Deen had made.
The 62-year-old has been charged with extortion.
Deen has become engulfed in a racism row.
The controversy erupted last month when a deposition was made public in which she was asked if she had used the "N word", and responded, "Yes, of course".
The questioning was part of a civil lawsuit, brought by former employee Lisa Jackson, which accuses Deen of using the slur when planning her brother's 2007 wedding.
It is claimed she wanted black waiters in white coats, shorts and bow ties for a "Southern plantation-style wedding".
Deen has denied being a racist.
Paula Deen on the Today show (Pic: NBC) During an appearance on the Today programme, a tearful Deen said: "The day I used that word, it was a world ago. It was 30 years ago."
Asked if she is a racist, she replied: "No, I am not."
Paculis was a resident in Savannah, in Deen's home state of Georgia.
A criminal complaint filed in federal court in Savannah says Paculis was threatening to go to the media with statements made by Deen unless the star gave him a quarter of a million dollars.
According to the AP news agency, the complaint cites the text of an email Paculis wrote to Deen's lawyer, Greg Hodges, on June 24, days after Deen's controversy broke out.
The text does not specify what the "damning" statements would be, but Paculis reportedly wrote that "there is a price for such information".
Mr Hodges then reported the case to the FBI.
Paculis has been ordered to appear in federal court in Savannah on July 16.
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