Letterman Blackmail Suspect Pleads Guilty, Gets 6 Months
Robert “Joe” Halderman, the former CBS producer charged with attempted grand larceny in a scheme to extort $2 million from David Letterman, pleaded guilty this afternoon.
“I feel great remorse for what I’ve done,” Halderman said in court, according to Dow Jones.
Halderman was accused of demanding Letterman pay him $2 million for a screenplay treatment he wrote about Letterman’s affairs with his female employees. This prompted Letterman to call his lawyer, who wore a wire to a subsequent meeting with Halderman and gave him a phony check. Halderman was arrested after depositing it. Letterman then admitted on-air that he had “had sex with women who work for me on this show.”
As part of his plea deal, Halderman is expected to serve six months in jail, followed by five years of probation and 1,000 hours of community service, according to Dow Jones. Sentencing is set for May 4.
Letterman thanked the New York City Police Department and District Attorney’s office in a statement. “On behalf of my family, I am extremely grateful for their tireless efforts,” he said.
“Let’s hope part of the plea bargain terms also include a prohibition on profiting from his conduct,” lawyer and entertainment reporter Russell Wetanson wrote at PopSquire. “Without such a restriction, Halderman very well could make more than the original $2 million he demanded.”
