Letterman blackmail suspect wants case dropped
A TV news producer accused of blackmailing David Letterman in exchange for keeping quiet about his sexual affairs was only trying to sell the late-night TV host a screenplay, the producer's lawyer said Tuesday.
Robert J. (Joe) Halderman's attorney asked a Manhattan judge to dismiss the attempted first-degree grand larceny charge at a hearing Tuesday.
Gerald Shargel said Halderman was merely trying to sell Letterman a screenplay when he left a package in Letterman's car.
"There was no extortion. There was a screenplay for sale," Shargel said. "There was a commercial transaction. Nothing more."
An attorney for Letterman called the host the victim in the case and derided Shargel's assertion that Halderman was merely trying to sell a screenplay.
"It's classic blackmail, no matter how Mr. Halderman's lawyer wants to dress it up," Daniel Horwitz said.
In papers filed Tuesday, Shargel argued that the indictment against Halderman should be dismissed because his conduct wasn't a crime, among other claims. Assistant District Attorney Judy Salwen said she was confident a judge would find the indictment was on solid legal ground.
State Supreme Court Justice Charles Solomon is expected to rule in January. Horwitz said Letterman is prepared to testify if the case goes to trial.
Package left for Letterman
Prosecutors have said Halderman left a bizarre and threatening package in Letterman's car on Sept. 9, demanding $2 million US to keep quiet about some of the Late Show host's dalliances.
The materials included a letter, a synopsis of a supposed screenplay that said Letterman's world would "collapse around him" when information about his private life was disclosed, photos, personal correspondence and portions of a diary, authorities said.
The diary entries are alleged to have been written by Halderman's former girlfriend and outlined her affair with Letterman.
Authorities then taped two conversations between Letterman's lawyer and Halderman, including an exchange in which the lawyer gave Halderman a phony $2-million US cheque, the Manhattan district attorney's office said. Halderman was arrested after depositing it, prosecutors said.
The day before prosecutors unveiled the case last month, Letterman divulged it on his show, acknowledging he had had sex with women who worked for him.
Halderman, 51, a producer for another CBS show, 48 Hours Mystery, has pleaded not guilty. He could face five to 15 years in prison if convicted.