A former business partner of Steven Seagal has been sent to prison after admitting that he arranged for the film star to be threatened.

A bumbling attempt to scare a newspaper reporter off a story last year has mushroomed into an FBI probe that has left some of Hollywood’s elite wondering if their phones were illegally tapped.

Action hero Steven Seagal’s former business partner has admitted taking part in a mob plot to extort cash from the actor.