New York City ? A judge set bail at $500,000 Thursday for a chauffeur for Yoko Ono after a prosecutor said he tried to extort $2 million from John Lennon’s widow and “had people on standby waiting to kill” her.

Police arrested Koral Karsan, who lives in Amityville, N.Y., on Wednesday and charged him with first-degree attempted grand larceny for allegedly trying to shake down Ono, the 73-year-old widow of the former Beatle. Prosecutors say Karsan threatened to release embarrassing recordings and photographs of Ono.

At Karsan’s arraignment, Judge Tanya Kennedy ordered him jailed, with bail set at $500,000 bond or $250,000 cash. If he posts bail, prosecutors will have 72 hours to check the source of the money and raise any objections.

Prosecutor Maureen O’Connor asked Kennedy to set high bail because she said Karsan, 50, was an “extraordinary flight risk.” She said he has been in the country about 10 years, has family, property and contacts back home in Turkey, and “there is no doubt he would flee” if released on bail, the prosecutor told the judge.