Letterman Extort Suspect to Ask Court to Drop Case
Court day for accused David Letterman shakedown artist
By DANIEL MACHT
Updated 5:39 AM CST, Tue, Nov 10, 2009
A lawyer for David Letterman’s accused blackmailer will ask that Robert J. “Joe” Halderman’s case be dropped when he appears in court today for the first time since posting bail last month, The Associated Press reports.
Defense lawyer Gerald Shargel told the AP he plans to challenge grand jury evidence against his client and ask the judge to dismiss the attempted first-degree larceny charge against Halderman.
The move is a common first defense step in New York criminal cases, according to the AP. Shargel would not elaborate on the details of his argument.
Halderman, a TV news producer for CBS’ “48 Hours Mystery,” is accused of having left a threatening package in Letterman’s car on Sept. 9 and demanding $2 million in hush money to keep secret evidence of the CBS “Late Show” host’s office hook-ups.
Halderman was arrested after attempting to deposit a fake $2 million check after Feds taped conversations between him and the late night comic’s lawyer , the Manhattan DA’s office said.
The night before prosecutors detailed the arrest, Letterman revealed the alleged shakedown plot on his show. He also copped to sex with staffers.
If convicted of blackmail, Halderman could face five to 15 years, the AP reported.
First Published: Nov 10, 2009 4:23 AM CST
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