Lawyers for John Travolta and Kelly Preston claim officials in the Bahamas tried to extort millions from the celebrity couple with "false claims" about the tragic but controversial death of their teenage son Jett.

Jett died in the Bahamas on January 2. The National Enquirer, citing a Bahamian newspaper, says police are investigating a local politician and a co-conspirator for the alleged extortion attempt. Mike Ossi and Howard Butler, Travolta's attorneys, released a statement:

Regrettably in a time of such terrible grief there are often a few individuals who attempt to make false claims in hopes of making millions of dollars. We will never let that happen.

Which makes no sense. If people are making false claims, why doesn't the Travolta camp just deny them? Wouldn't threatening to reveal something true be far more profitable?