Amy Polumbo, Miss Seashore Line, is crowned Miss New Jersey 2007, during the final night of competition held Saturday evening, June 16, on the Ocean City Music Pier, in Ocean City, N.J. Polumbo says she won't give in to an anonymous threat that personal photographs of her will be made public if she refuses to relinquish her crown. - AP Photo

(AP):

Miss New Jersey says she's done nothing illegal in photos sent by someone she says is trying to blackmail her into giving up her crown.

In an interview on NBC's 'Today' show yesterday, Amy Polumbo said the photos show no nudity, pornography or underage drinking.

"I am not doing anything illegal in the pictures," she said.

The 22-year-old college student said she has no idea who might have assembled two packages of private photos that were sent to Miss New Jersey and Miss America pageant officials last week.

"Whoever this is, I think they're a very miserable person and I really feel bad for them," Polumbo said.

She wouldn't rule out other contestants.

"It really could be anyone," she said. "And it's really disheartening to think it would be a contestant."

The anonymous sender threatened in a letter to release the photos publicly if Polumbo doesn't drop out of the Miss America pageant. She has refused to do so.

Fictitious captions

Her lawyer, Anthony Caruso, has said that fictitious captions added to the photos were more troubling than the photos themselves. He said some of photos came from Polumbo's former Facebookweb page.

Caruso said he hoped Miss America officials would decide this week to allow Polumbo to compete in the pageant.

He also said the matter is being investigated by the state Attorney-General's Office.