This is a bizarre story that isn’t just a rumor and involves an actual court case proceeding now. A music promoter and former gang member testified at a preliminary hearing that he was kidnapped and robbed by seven gang members in 2008. According to the victim, a former associate of Shaq’s, he was robbed, beaten and ordered to hand over a sex tape he was in possession of that allegedly showed Shaq having sex with several women who were not his then-wife, Shaunie. The victim claims that he threatened to release the tape when Shaq failed to pay him for referring music artists to Shaq’s label. All of this is pretty damning, but despite his assumed involvement Shaq has not been charged with anything at all and it’s likely he won’t be charged. The seven men have been arrested and charged with robbery and kidnapping.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ … Ladell Rowles — a member of the Main Street Mafia Crip Gang in L.A. who is friends with Shaq — along with 6 other members went on a search and destroy mission in L.A. on February 11, 2008. They believed a man named Robert Ross had the sex tape and they tried getting it back with the help of a gun or two.

According to the police report, the 7 gang members met up with Ross at a convenience store — Pink Dot — on the Sunset Strip. The men allegedly surrounded Ross’ Rolls Royce Phantom with guns drawn, jumped into Ross’ car and ordered him to drive to Rowles’ house in South Central L.A.

Once there, Rowles allegedly pistol whipped Ross and demanded that he turn over the sex tape. Ross said he would get the tape and bring it back to them. The 7 men then allegedly took Ross’ Rolex, diamond chain and earrings, along with $15,000 in cash — then let Ross go.

The 7 men have been arrested and charged with robbery, kidnapping and other crimes. They are currently in the middle of a preliminary hearing and being held in jail.

We’ve learned LAPD detectives interviewed Shaq to determine what, if any, involvement he had in the alleged crimes. When the case file went to the D.A. Shaq was not listed as a suspect.

Now here’s the interesting backstory.

Ross has a history with Shaq. Shaq and his business manager, Mark Stevens, have a record label and allegedly told Ross they would give him a 50% cut in any artists he brought to them. Ross claims he delivered Ray J to Shaq but got cut out of the deal.

Ross told cops after his falling out, he threatened Shaq by telling him about the sex tape, threatening to release it unless Shaq paid up.

As for the tape, Ross claims Shaq brought women to Ross’ home and had sex with them while he was married to Shaunie. Ross told Shaq a “security camera” captured the action and it was all on tape. But Ross told cops the security camera recycles periodically and the video no longer exists.

And there’s another twist. Around the time Shaq and Ross had their falling out, Shaunie separated from Shaq and Ross claims he began having an affair with her. Ross claims Shaq hired a private investigator to tail Shaunie and the P.I. caught the two together.

[From TMZ]

That’s ripe that the guy had an affair with Shaq’s then-wife Shaunie too! It’s all very twisted.

CNN’s story on this backs up TMZ’s claim that the sex tape was being used as a bargaining chip by the victim, but they also write that “prosecutors said they have not verified the sex tape, purportedly showing the retired basketball star having sex with several women, actually exists.”

In early 2010 three different women who were mistresses of Shaq during his marriage to Shaunie came forward. (Shaunie and Shaq filed for divorce in 2007 but reconciled until Shaunie reportedly discovered he was cheating and filed again in November ’09). There were text messages to women named Latosha Lee, and Vanessa Lopez, and another mistress named Dominica Westling told her story to Radar. There were surely plenty more and Shaq probably thought he was being so smooth and discreet about it all. Don’t they always until they get caught.