PI to the stars is more than a little shady
Filed under: Celebrities and Controversy, Newsstand
LAPD-cop-turned-private-detective Anthony Pellicano was once "the go-to detective for
information needed by lawyers and agents representing entertainment A-listers." (If we were more plugged in to the
LA scene, we'd probably know what agents hire PIs to dig up. As it is, it just sounds seedy.) Things, however, have
changed: yesterday, Pellicano pled guilty to a 110-count indictment that charged him with "organizing and
masterminding a corrupt enterprise that allegedly wiretapped phones, entered private computers without authorization,
committed wire fraud, bribery, identity theft and obstruction of justice." Based on evidence collected over the
course of a three year investigation by the federal government, the man was very, very busy.Among other things, Pellicano and his associates would both tap the phones of stars (including Sylvester Stallone, who is now going to kick Pellicano's ass, Rocky-style) and, with the help of an LAPD insider, access "confidential police records" to get dirt on the famous, including Garry Shandling and Kevin Nealon. Pellicano would then spring into action, "securing clients who were willing and able to pay large sums for the purpose of obtaining personal information of a confidential, embarrassing, or incriminating nature regarding other individuals." Basically, it was a huge network of scum, working together in a variety of ways.
Though the sentence has yet to be handed down, Pellicano - who is just finishing up an unrelated prison term (He was storing explosives in his office. Since when has that been a problem?!) - is not likely to go home any time soon.
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