Blackmail Is Back As Celebs Fight Extortion

By Ben Widdicombe Posted May 10th 2010 11:00AM

Celebrity blackmail was all over the news last week. On May 3, 'Bones' star David Boreanaz was forced to reveal his marital infidelities because, he said, a woman was trying to extort him. And on May 4, Robert Halderman, the television news producer who pleaded guilty to blackmailing David Letterman, was sentenced to a six-month prison term.

So why is blackmail -- that most noir-ish of crimes, which sounds like it belongs in a Mickey Spillane novel -- suddenly coming back? And what can celebrities do to fight it?

It is a fair assumption that for every case of alleged extortion that hits the papers, there are several murky episodes that stay in the shadows. An example of one eye-popping story we almost never heard about: The veteran columnist Liz Smith wrote in her memoir a startling tale of mutual blackmail between Rock Hudson and his one-time wife, Phyllis Gates. She had threatened to expose his homosexuality but was herself a lesbian; Smith was able to help Hudson obtain an incriminating photo of Gates, which kept her quiet. Just your regular Hollywood relationship!

In modern times, the case that had the biggest impact on what may be considered blackmail involved Cameron Diaz. In 2003, photographer John Rutter tried to sell Diaz potentially embarrassing photos she had posed for before she was famous. He wanted $3.5 million for the cheesy, vaguely bondage-themed pics and was offering to give her "first refusal" before offering them for sale to magazines. But she went to the police, and Rutter was convicted and sentenced to almost four years in jail.

What the Diaz, Boreanaz and Letterman cases have in common is that the blackmailer threatened to involve the media. If Halderman had simply sold his story to the National Enquirer, rather than trying to get money from Letterman, he may not have committed a crime.

David Letterman, David Boreanaz and Cameron Diaz Blackmail

Attorney Mark W. Smith, a legal crisis expert with the New York law firm Smith Valliere PLLC, tells PopEater: "There is a tension between the First Amendment and freedom of expression and the definition of blackmail."

He says that any person has the right to sell their life story, even if that might contain unflattering information about a celebrity. But whether that constitutes blackmail depends on the individual jurisdiction or judgment of the local prosecutor or district attorney.

"David Letterman is an icon in New York, but is he an icon in Alabama?" Smith says. "With a New York DA and a New York jury, he might engender sympathy, but I am not so sure in Alabama."

Smith also believes that the notion of shame has changed in the United States. "Eliot Spitzer was caught with a prostitute, and began making his comeback 18 months later. And the woman [Ashley Dupre] is now writing a love column in the New York Post. Years ago, there would be no coming back form a scandal like that -- it would destroy you."

So with reputation rehab a modern possibility, it seems that stars like Letterman and Boreanaz are more willing to expose their own misdeeds to scrutiny -- and take on their blackmailers in court.

Classic 'Blackmail'

Comments

(8)

Monday 10 May

By OhLori

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Be an upstanding citizen, do the right thing and you will have no worries about being blackmailed. If you have done something so horrible that someone may try to blackmail you then.....you get what you deserve. What happened to honesty and integrity?

By Eddie

Hm, and do you think prostitutes can't be raped? Blaming the victim is a way to make a small ego feel bigger.

By a33usdlvbag

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look my name i hope will better

By chris

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Ohlori your awfully naive. The current photographers will invade homes, climb fences, hide in the closet to get the photo. And, black mailers will use any photo deemed "Controversal" to get money. I'm sure if Clooney had not stood up to "paps", the photo of the 14 year old girl changing at his home would have been twisted into something. Recent report mentioned (can't remember her name") child of a celebrity who was photographed tied to a chair. Person with photo tried to sell it. Turns out it was the kids playing cops and robbers. They will invent the story to give the photo credibility.

By lisa

If your Honest, pay your taxes, are 100% loyal to your spouse and family, then there should be absolutely nothing to worry about! If your going to be sneaky, and greedy, and lie to everyone, then WORRY about being blackmailed! And rightfully deserve everything you get on the negative! Cause your gonna to piss someone off!

By Linda

ITA Lisa, but the paps are looking for a story. They get paid big bucks for these stories and if he can find a real one they just distort and change an innocent incident into a scandal. It happens all the time. Just read the stories on National Enquirer or one of the other rags. I mean really example: do you really think Jennifer Aniston is jealous of Brad and Angelina after all this time? 90% of it is BS.

By Steve Gamble

Then stop giving the paps a market to sell to. Don't buy those rags or watch those rumor mongering shows. I don't and do not feel Like I've missed a damn thing.

Tuesday 11 May

By QueenCamRothschild

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