Police Are Investigating Alleged Threats Made Against Employees Working on Aaron Hernandez Film

The Santa Monica Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division is delving into the alleged threats made against the employees of the Mark Gordon Entertainment Company by a man named Todd Guzze, according to Deadline.

The threats came shortly after news about the Mark Gordon Co. acquiring the feature film rights to All-American Murder: The Rise and Fall of Aaron Hernandez, the Superstar Whose Life Ended on Murderer’s Row, a book slated to come out next January. Guzze allegedly sent emails threatening one of the company's employees, Josh Clay Phillips.

In addition to receiving photos of men holding guns, Phillips was sent a message from Guzze warning him about going forward with the film and making mention of the gangs the Latin Kings and Bloods. “So I don’t need to tell you how they work … I’m keeping them at bay right now, they don’t even know this is going on at this second," Guzze wrote on January 29. "So that’s my last little tidbit for you, and they’re right here in L.A.” Guzze has repeatedly threatened to take legal action, but has never followed through.

When Deadline reached out to Guzze to get his response to the allegations made by the Mark Gordon Co., he responded with a lengthy statement. "The Entertainment Industry is big business, and it usually lacks a sense of humor," he wrote. "We’ve had to use guerrilla marketing techniques, at times, in order to get some people’s attention. We’re not the first ones to do it, and we won’t be the last. This is not about Aaron Hernandez, Natalie Wood, or Emmett Till. This is about a group of artists, some minority, that have worked really hard to get to this point, and are just looking for a specific window of opportunity to shine, or be recognized."

Mark Gordon Entertainment Co. filed a restraining order petition earlier this month. A hearing has been set for March 1.