You are viewing the archive: “Pellicano”

John McTiernan Pleads Guilty To Perjury And Faces Up To One Year In Prison

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Monday July 12, 2010 @ 3:55pm PDTTags: Charles Roven, Die Hard, Directors, John McTiernan, John McTiernan Director, John McTiernan Pellicano, John McTiernan Sentencing, Pellicano, Predator

mctiernanjohn1MONDAY UPDATE: The film director pleaded guilty in Los Angeles federal court to lying during the Pellicano investigation. John McTiernan entered the plea to two counts of making false statements to the FBI and one count of perjury for lying to a federal judge while trying to withdraw a guilty plea. He faces up to a year in prison when he’s sentenced October 4th before the same judge he lied to.

SUNDAY PM: The Predator reboot debuted this weekend. But at 9 AM Monday, the director of the original goes on trial. John McTiernan is charged with lying to the FBI and to a federal judge in connection with the Anthony Pellicano wiretapping and racketeering case. But McTiernan, who also helmed Die Hard, The Hunt for Red October, and The Thomas Crown Affair remake, But here’s the problem: McTiernan is appearing for trial tomorrow before the same judge he allegedly lied to. In June, McTiernan lost a bid to suppress evidence in the case. U.S. District Judge Dale Fischer denied McTiernan’s request to exclude a telephone conversation Pellicano recorded in which he and McTiernan discussed wiretapping Charles Roven, a producer of the 2002 movie Rollerball that was also directed by McTiernan.

pellicanoThis case has quite a history. The 59-year-old director pleaded guilty in 2006 to lying to FBI agents about paying Pellicano $50,000 to wiretap Roven’s phone. Fischer sentenced McTiernan in 2007 to 4 months in prison after denying his motion to withdraw his guilty plea. But the U.S. Court of Appeals in San Francisco in 2008 said McTiernan should get a new hearing on whether he could withdraw his plea. So last year he was allowed to withdraw his guilty plea because his previous lawyer hadn’t told him he could have tried to suppress the incriminating recording as evidence. Pellicano, the one-time Hollywood private eye, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for running a criminal enterprise.

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Pellicano And Thug Pal Plead Not Guilty To Threatening Ex-Showbiz Journo Anita Busch

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Wednesday June 17, 2009 @ 3:02pm PDTTags: Law, Pellicano

Imprisoned former celebrity P.I. Anthony Pellicano and a man he allegedly hired to threaten former entertainment business journalist Anita Busch (then working as a contract employee for the Los Angeles Times) have pleaded not guilty to two felony charges. Pellicano, who is representing himself, and Alexander Frederick Proctor are … Read More »

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Latest Pellicano Scandal Rogue Sentenced

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Monday March 9, 2009 @ 4:47pm PDTTags: Law, Pellicano

This time, it’s Kevin Kachikian, the computer guy who developed the Telesleuth wiretapping program with Pellicano. Federal Judge Dale Fischer sentenced him to 27 months. He is free on $100,000 bail pending an appeal.

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Pellicano Scandal: 3 More Sentenced

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Tuesday March 3, 2009 @ 6:07pm PSTTags: Law, Pellicano

Federal Judge Dale Fischer sentenced ex-LAPD cop Mark Arneson, who got paid by Pellicano to run names illegally through law enforcement computers, to 121 months or 10 years in prison. And Ray Turner, the ex-Pacific Bell technician who helped Pellicano establish wiretaps, also was sentenced to the same jail term. Abner Nicherie, who hired … Read More »

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PELLICANO SCANDAL: Director John McTiernan To Be Indicted Anew After Withdrawing His Guilty Plea To Perjury

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Wednesday February 25, 2009 @ 12:44pm PSTTags: Law, Pellicano

News reports say federal Judge Dale Fischer on Monday allowed the Die Hard and Hunt For Red October helmer John McTiernan to withdraw his guilty plea to lying to the FBI about the Pellicano scandal that involved Hollywood wiretapping. Immediately, assistant U.S. Attorney Dan Saunders, who … Read More »

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Pellicano Scandal Chapter Ends Today: Hollywood P.I. Sentenced To 15 Years

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Monday December 15, 2008 @ 4:30pm PSTTags: Law, Pellicano

Anthony Pellicano, the wiretapping Hollywood private eye turned convicted felon, finally found out his fate. U.S. District Judge Dale Fischer gave him a prison sentence of 15 years and ordered the 64-year-old Pellicano and two other defendants to forfeit a total of $2 … Read More »

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FBI Agent Who Dated Hollywood Actress Pal Of Pellicano Now Accused In Scandal

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Wednesday December 3, 2008 @ 8:14pm PSTTags: Hollywood, Law, Pellicano

The Pellicano scandal keeps getting curiouser and curiouser. News reports say an FBI agent who dated actress Linda Fiorentino and allegedly came to know Anthony Pellicano through her was just charged with illegally accessing an FBI computer to help the ex-Hollywood P.I. … Read More »

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Terry Christensen Gets 3 Year Sentence; Judge Calls House Detention “Ludicrous”

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Monday November 24, 2008 @ 10:17am PSTTags: Law, Pellicano

It also looks as if the now disgraced uber-entertainment lawyer and convicted felon in the Pellicano scandal won’t be doing his time under house detention, either. This morning, federal judge Dale Fischer granted prosecutors’ recommendation and sentenced Terry Christensen to 36 … Read More »

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Christensen Wants To Do Time In His Crib

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Friday November 21, 2008 @ 2:10pm PSTTags: Law, Pellicano

Former entertainment superlawyer and now convicted felon Terry Christensen is being sentenced at 8:30 AM Monday morning. But get this: he still thinks he’s a bigshot. Because he’s requesting to be put on probation for 10 months under home confinement. … Read More »

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Feds Want Pellicano In Prison For 15 Yrs

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Friday October 24, 2008 @ 8:26pm PDTTags: Law, Pellicano

The U.S. Attorney’s office in Los Angeles has just filed its sentencing position papers for convicted Hollywood wiretapper and ex-private investigator Anthony Pellicano. The prosecutors are asking for a minimum prison sentence of 188 months, or more than 15 1/2 years, for The Pelican. The sentencing date is supposed to … Read More »

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McTiernan Wins Appeal In Pellicano Plea

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Wednesday October 22, 2008 @ 10:28am PDTTags: Law, Pellicano

The film director got some good news yesterday. The 9th U.S. Court Of Appeals has unanimously decided to send his case back to the U.S. District Court and thus laid the groundwork to enable action film director John McTiernan to … Read More »

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Showbiz Stocks Benefit From Soaring Dow

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Thursday September 18, 2008 @ 12:15pm PDTTags: Horror, Pellicano

UPDATE: Infotainment companies breathed a sigh of relief today as their stocks rallied when market indexes finished Thursday way, way up (Dow +410, S&P +50, NASDAQ +100). Now let’s see if it’s sustainable and if CBS, Disney, Viacom, News Corp and others dependent on advertising revenue … Read More »

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Media Stocks Get Hammered Wednesday

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Wednesday September 17, 2008 @ 11:25am PDTTags: Horror, Pellicano

2ND UPDATE, New Info Throughout: The Dow finished down nearly 450 points, the S&P down 57, and the NASDAQ down 109. It was one of the ugliest sessions of the past 10 days of butt ugly, with comparisons to the post-9/11 period on Wall Street. The word for Wednesday? “Deleveraging”. I’ve already written … Read More »

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Big Media Stocks End Tuesday Up & Down

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Tuesday September 16, 2008 @ 9:04am PDTTags: Horror, Pellicano

UPDATE: This was another eerily quiet day in Hollywood as everyone monitored Wall Street. The Dow fought through tremendous volatility from the moment the stock market opened 175 points down, continuing through midday, and ending 142 points up Tuesday. NBC Universal parent company … Read More »

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Lotsa Trouble Inside Network Fall Skeds

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Friday September 12, 2008 @ 2:02pm PDTTags: Pellicano, Reality, Studios

UPDATED THROUGHOUT: First it was turmoil inside NBC’s fall scripted shows like Kath & Kim and My Own Worst Enemy. Now there’s trouble inside CBS’s primetime sked. I’m told that The Ex List‘s creator/showrunner Diane Ruggiero is exiting: some say she quit over … Read More »

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SHOWBIZ LEGAL EAGLE GOES DOWN! Christensen Found Guilty On All Counts; Pellicano Also Convicted For 2nd Time

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Friday August 29, 2008 @ 11:19am PDTTags: Courts, Law, Pellicano

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UPDATE: Sentencing will take place November 17th.

Maybe Terry Christensen should have hired a real criminal attorney and not his entertainment … Read More »

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Closing Arguments Set For Today In Pellicano/Christensen Trial: End In Sight

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Tuesday August 26, 2008 @ 12:28pm PDTTags: Courts, Law, Pellicano

Both ex-Hollywood P.I. Anthony Pellicano and Terry Christensen, the managing partner of the showbiz law firm Christensen, Glaser, Fink, Jacobs, Weil & Shapiro, are charged with wiretapping and conspiracy. Lawyers rested their cases on Friday.

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BIG LETDOWN: Kerkorian Says Nothing Really New At Pellicano/Christensen Trial

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Wednesday August 20, 2008 @ 1:59pm PDTTags: Courts, Law, Pellicano

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My LA Weekly colleague Steven Mikulan emailed me this about Kirk Kerkorian’s 30-minute testimony today before a packed federal courtroom. Summary: Kerkorian … Read More »

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UPDATE: Kirk Kerkorian Called To Testify Wednesday At Pellicano/Christensen Trial

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Tuesday August 19, 2008 @ 11:54am PDTTags: Courts, Law, Pellicano

The billionaire two-time owner of MGM/UA takes the witness stand at 11 AM.

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