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A couple convicted in July of trying to blackmail US actor John Stamos for $680,000 (£426,541) have both been sentenced to four years in prison.

Allison Coss and Scott Sippola were convicted of conspiracy after claiming they had photos of the Glee star with cocaine and strippers.

In a statement read out in a Michigan court on Friday, Stamos said their actions had been "reprehensible."

"The defendants' strategy consisted of lying and inventing stories," he wrote.

"I was forced to watch [Coss] slander me at trial with impunity while the press reported their fabricated allegations."

Coss, 24, and Sippola, 31 - both of Marquette, Michigan - alleged they were in possession of photographs showing Stamos snorting cocaine and sitting naked in a hot tub.

The photos were alleged to have been taken after Stamos met Coss in Florida in 2004 following his separation from ex-wife Rebecca Romijn.

Coss and Sippola were arrested in December after Stamos reported the extortion attempt to authorities.

FBI agents said that searches of their home, vehicles and computers had failed to turn up evidence of any pictures.

Stamos, 47, appeared in ER and Full House and currently plays a dentist on hit musical show Glee.

In a court document filed this week, Sippola apologised for his "awful" conduct.