Alleged mistress of Yankees GM pleads guilty to blackmail

An alleged mistress of New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman pleaded guilty to blackmailing the executive Wednesday, reports Shayna Jacobs of the New York Daily News.

Despite pleading guilty, Louise Meanwell won't have to admit guilt as part of a plea deal.

Supreme Court Justice Bruce Allen served Meanwell with a probation sentence that'll run in conjunction with a five-year term she's currently serving.

Jacobs writes that Meanwell "copped to grand larceny by extortion, perjury, and criminal impersonation in Manhattan Supreme Court, where she took the deal on the grounds that there likely was enough evidence to convict her at trial."

Meanwell was arrested in 2012 and initially faced 52 criminal charges, including stalking and harassment, for allegedly trying to extort $21,000 from Cashman after claiming they had a 10-month affair. Cashman was married at the time, but he and his wife have since divorced.

"Although (Meanwell) continues to maintain her innocence as to every charge in the indictment, she recognizes that there is a possibility of conviction based upon the evidence," her attorney Kevin Marino said in court.

Meanwell also agreed to drop a pending lawsuit against Cashman involving the hacking of her email.

The agreement negates a possible 15 years in prison for the 39-year-old Meanwell, who once suggested Cashman deliberately misled investigators during the Roger Clemens steroid investigation.