Hotel Sting Operation Brought Down Letterman Extortion Plot

By PopEater / Wire Services Posted Oct 2nd 2009 06:00PM

'48 Hours' producer Robert "Joe" Halderman has pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted grand larceny on Friday, after an alleged plot to blackmail David Letterman was foiled by authorities with an undercover sting operation, Reuters reports. Halderman, who faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison if convicted, attended the hearing with his hands shackled behind his back. The judge set bail at $200,000.

Letterman says he found a package of embarrassing e-mails and photos in his limousine. A note written by Halderman said he needed "to make a large chunk of money" by selling Letterman a screenplay treatment. "His actions reflect desperation that is alarming and dangerous," prosecutor Judy Salwen said during Friday's hearing.

The letter told Letterman that his world was "about to collapse around him" when information about his private life is disclosed. He said it would lead to "a ruined reputation" and severe damage to his professional and family life.

"Our concern here is extortion, and that's what we're focusing on," Morgenthau said.

Letterman immediately contacted his lawyer, who arranged a meeting with Halderman. At the meeting, Halderman demanded $2 million for not releasing the material, the district attorney's office said. After the meeting, Letterman and his lawyer contacted the DA's office and the investigation began.

Letterman was candid about the threats he'd received in comments he made on Thursday's taping of his 'Late Show.' Watch >>>

"In the back seat of my car, there's a package that I don't recognize. What this is is a guy is going to write a screenplay about me and he's going to take all the terrible stuff that he knows about my life and he's going to put it into a movie unless I give him some money," Letterman explained to the audience.

"Now of course we get to what is it. What was all the creepy stuff that he was going to put into the screenplay and the movie, and the creepy stuff that I had ... sex with women who work for me on the show. Now, my response to that is yes, I have," he continued.

CBS said Halderman has been suspended from his job at the true-crime show '48 Hours.'

RadarOnline.com was the first to report that Halderman was a suspect.

As part of the case, Letterman said in a release that he testified before a grand jury and acknowledged sexual relationships with members of his staff.

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Letterman and His 'Late Show' Guests

David Letterman is seen here explaining the very serious situation involving an extortion attempt over his sexual affairs with employees.

CBS

David Letterman Snapshots

Actress / Television personality Kim Kardashian visits "Late Show With David Letterman" at the Ed Sullivan Theater on October 1, 2009 in New York City. Kim Kardashian, Woody Harrelson, Larry David And Olivia Wilde Visit "Late Show With David Letterman" - October 1, 2009 Ed Sullivan Theater New York, NY United States October 1, 2009 Photo by Jeffrey Ufberg/WireImage.com To license this image (58532192), contact WireImage.com

Jeffrey Ufberg/WireImage.com

Actress Olivia Wilde visits "Late Show With David Letterman" at the Ed Sullivan Theater on October 1, 2009 in New York City. Kim Kardashian, Woody Harrelson, Larry David And Olivia Wilde Visit "Late Show With David Letterman" - October 1, 2009 Ed Sullivan Theater New York, NY United States October 1, 2009 Photo by Jeffrey Ufberg/WireImage.com To license this image (58532266), contact WireImage.com

Jeffrey Ufberg/WireImage.com

This image rendered form video shows David Letterman as he tells his story during a taping of his late-night show Thursday Oct. 1, 2009 that he had sexual relationships with female employees and that someone tried to extort $2 million from him over the affairs, and CBS says an employee has been charged with attempted grand larceny in the case. (AP Photo/CBS)

** FILE ** In this image originally provided by CBS, David Letterman appears on the "Late Show with David Letterman," in this Oct. 8, 2007, file photo, in New York. Letterman acknowledged on his Thursday Oct. 1, 2009 show that he had sexual relationships with female employees and that someone tried to extort $2 million from him over the affairs. CBS says an employee has been charged with attempted grand larceny in the case. (AP Photo/John Paul Filo, CBS, File) ** MANDATORY CREDIT; NO SALES; NO ARCHIVE; NORTH AMERICA USE ONLY **

Woody Harrelson visits "Late Show with David Letterman" at the Ed Sullivan Theater on October 1, 2009 in New York City. Woody Harrelson Visits "Late Show With David Letterman" - October 1, 2009 Ed Sullivan Theater New York, NY United States October 1, 2009 Photo by Marcel Thomas/FilmMagic.com To license this image (58533297), contact FilmMagic.com

Marcel Thomas/FilmMagic.com

Kim Kardashian visits "Late Show with David Letterman" at the Ed Sullivan Theater on October 1, 2009 in New York City. Woody Harrelson Visits "Late Show With David Letterman" - October 1, 2009 Ed Sullivan Theater New York, NY United States October 1, 2009 Photo by Marcel Thomas/FilmMagic.com To license this image (58533214), contact FilmMagic.com

Marcel Thomas/FilmMagic.com

Tags: david letterman, DavidLetterman, joe halderman, JoeHalderman, Robert Joe Halderman, RobertJoeHalderman

Comments

(186)

Friday 02 October

By emmette

Vote down Vote up Report this

Apparently the $2MIL check bounced and it was suppose to. Will the Bank be charging an NSF fee?

By Jason123

You are way off base when you say "It took an extrodinary man to admit it". It was going to come out and he HAD to admit it. You give too much credit to a guy who is known as a jerk and a sleezeball by many.

By Fishonjohnson

Doesn't take a genius to know David Letterman is a piece of crap,haven't watched his trash for 10 yrs.I feel sorry for paul having to listen to him every night but the checks keep rolling in and thats all that matters. I hope Dave croaks on air so I can laugh at him once again. :p

By John Dean

In lieu of a pay raise you get to sleep with big Dave.

By RDLfinewine

I am not insensitive,I just don't care......

By P.I.

Or maybe Halderman paid or even hired one of the girls. Or maybe he accessed areas and set up cameras. Or maybe he has a friend in the computer profession to intercept the emails. P.I.'s don't engage in extortion. P.I.'s do more than follow people around for lame reasons. P.I.s also prove Innocent people Innocent of crimes they are being wrongly accused of....too often by the corrupted elements w/in our CJ System. This thing with Letterman is NO ONE's business but his own. FOCUS on this piece of crap, Halderman, idiots!!

Friday 02 October
By onestopgenHighest Rank Vote downVote upReport this
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Halderman will be fired from CBS once he is convicted. In the meantime, he can't be fired now because of contractual reasons. That's how it works in the entertainment/news industry.

The big question is how did Halderman get access to private e-mails and photos? He may have hired a private detective to snoop on Dave.

By Bill

Bye Dave....Finally someone funny at 11:30...Welcome Craig Ferguson

By sophie

Who cares????? I'm glad the King of kings, his queen and their slave Oprah didn't get the 2016 olympics to go Chicago ! hahahahahaha

By charlie

WGAS about SEE-BS, Rather & Letterman, two old has-been's that never were?
Were they guilty of rape-"rape" too?

By Rainbow

High Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

REMEMBER folks to SPAY & NEUTER your Republicans ! Only YOU can prevent the spread of these MORONS & PERVERTS...Help NOW..Don't delay do it TODAY !

Monday 05 October

By tim m

just a ratings ploy! wag the dog!they're all working together on this one. predictable.

By p carter

anybody think maybe these women enjoyed dave. could be dave's packing a 9 iron!!!

By YOYO

Were the staffers he slept with married?

By JMO

I'm curious will Halderman get residuals if 48 hours airs this as a feature program?
Also will all the people who did not think a major television star would boink anything that walks or crawls please raise thier hands so we could all laugh at them.

By Tee Winky

I would probably sympathize with Dave on this
one if only he hadn't been such a dumb jerk
about Sarah Palin and her daughters.

By kyleb

Low Ranked Vote down Vote up Report this

Hey JENNIFER, where did you read an article that said he had these sex tryst before he was married??? You say that was not an affair. What about the women he was involved with? Were they married? If so, that made it an affair.
LeeNee, Honor is not the reason Dave admitted it. It was all of those pictures the man had of him proving his guilt. He had no choice but to admit it.

By Mike

Republicans like Bill Clinton and Dave Letterman? Great class act for marriage and family, right?

And your heroes for your children must be the commone Rapper......."Yo, wassup homie?"

Friday 02 October
By donNeutral Vote downVote upReport this
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its time for letterman to go out to pasteur anyway.
I have had enough of this tasteless ,ego maniac anyway. he is the epitomy of the "self-centered" liberal
mentality that is destroying our country.Especially our children. You won this one Letterman, but you will never win in the end.

By Glenda Litner

Couldn't Dave get dates (sex) outside the office? Yep, he is another immoral slug. The only people who accept his actions is other immoral slugs and they are usually in the business trying to change the world to their lifestyle and immorality. If CBS doesn't take action then I guess I will...just turn off CBS>

By sjw

What I want to know is...WHO in the heck are these women that had sex with HIM?????

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