David Lettermans blackmailer pleads guilty to extortion
A TV producer has pleaded guilty to extorting $2m from US talk-show host David Letterman, according to reports.
Robert “Joe” Halderman, 51, is expected to be sentenced to six months in jail, as well as ordered to do 1,000 hours of community service.
And he is likely to have to serve four-and-a-half years probation as part of a last-minute plea deal with prosecutors.
In Manhattan Supreme Court today, Halderman said: “In September of 2009, I attempted to extort $2m from David Letterman by attempting to disclose private information against him, whether true or false.
“I feel extremely remorseful for what I have done. I sincerely apologise to Mr Letterman and his family.”
The CBS producer reportedly tried to blackmail Letterman after learning that his then-girlfriend, Stephanie Birkitt, 35, was sleeping with the chat-show host, who was her boss at the time.
The deal was hammered out just hours before Halderman, who had been charged with first-degree grand larceny, was due to appear at a court hearing.
As part of the deal, he agreed to not disclose any of the material he had threatened to release, according to reports.
It means married Letterman, 61, will now avoid a potentially embarrassing and messy trial that would have focused on his affairs with women on his staff.
Halderman will begin his sentence in about two months, according to US reports.
A spokesman for Letterman was not immediately available for comment.
Halderman’s lawyer, Gerald Shargel, declined to comment.
Source: Splash News
