Jury selection starting for home invasion case

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) - Jury selection is starting for a man facing charges that he attempted to extort millions of dollars from socialite Anne H. Bass following a break-in at her Connecticut estate.

Jury selection starts Tuesday in federal court in New Haven in the trial of Emanuel Nicolescu.

Prosecutors say Nicolescu and other assailants invaded Bass's house in Kent in 2007, brandishing knives. The attackers are accused of injecting Bass and a guest with what they said was a deadly virus, demanding money in exchange for an antidote. Authorities said the substance was harmless, likely an ink.

Nicolescu has pleaded not guilty to charges including attempted extortion.