PELICAN FILES Report: Feds Keep DA In Dark About Celebrity Investigator's Probe

NBC4.TV ^ | December 11, 2003 | Copyright 2003 by NBC4.tv.

[Liz]

Private Eye May Have Eavesdropped On DA, Police

LOS ANGELES -- Federal agents are keeping District Attorney Steve Cooley in the dark about their wiretapping probe targeting former celebrity private eye Anthony Pellicano, it was reported Thursday.

Pellicano, now imprisoned for illegally possessing explosives, may have eavesdropped on at least two deputy district attorneys, a Los Angeles police detective and an alleged rape victim, sources close to the wiretapping investigation told the Los Angeles Times.

Cooley, who said he was not privy to details of the probe, said criminal investigations could have been compromised.

"Such illegal wiretapping puts lives of innocent victims and witnesses in jeopardy. It impedes the ability of dedicated men and women in the District Attorney's Office and in law enforcement to seek the truth," Cooley told the newspaper. "It is time for straight talk by federal authorities on this troubling issue."

Federal investigators are also looking into whether the once high-flying private eye also illegally listened to conversations between high-profile attorneys and their celebrity clients.

The wiretapping probe involving county prosecutors apparently is related to the prosecution of John Gordon Jones, a wealthy businessman who was acquitted two years ago of charges that he drugged and raped women he met at nightclubs, the Times reported. Pellicano was hired by Jones' defense team.

FBI agents have questioned dozens of people regarding Jones' case, including Los Angeles police Detective Timothy Marcia and Deputy District Attorney Karla Kerlin, sources told the Times.

Two of Jones' lawyers, Daniel Davis and Ronald Richards, have said that Pellicano secretly recorded Jones without their permission.

Last month, attorney Bert Fields, who has represented Tom Cruise, Kevin Costner and other A-list celebrities, told the Times that FBI agents questioned him about what he knew of Pellicano's activities.

Fields denied any knowledge of illegal wiretaps.

The investigation in an outgrowth of a lawsuit in which actor Steven Seagal alleged that he was being extorted by mafioso.

Los Angeles Times reporter Anita Busch started investigating links between the actor and alleged mafia associate Julius Nasso last year, and on June 20, 2002, found a dead fish and a rose on her car with a note that said "stop."

Busch received several threatening telephone calls, and law enforcement officers later arrested ex-con Alexander Proctor, who later told authorities he was hired by Pellicano.

That led to a raid at Pellicano's office, where FBI agents found two grenades and some C-4 plastic explosives in a safe. Agents also seized computer files containing information that suggested Pellicano may have illegally tapped telephone lines.

The investigation into Pellicano's activities also led to the suspension of a 30-year Los Angeles police veteran for allegedly using law enforcement databases to retrieve information for Pellicano.

On Oct. 9, Pellicano ended a non-jury trial by pleading guilty to possessing unregistered weapons -- the two hand grenades -- and possessing plastic explosives.

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[Lion in Winter]

Didn't he do some work for bill & hill at one time?

[buffyt]

I always assmumed that cops could wiretap my phones at any time they thought necessary. I always assumed they could shoot my tires out if I tried to run from them. I assumed they could shoot me if I ran from them. Now I find out none of that is true. I sure am glad I had these false beliefs when I was young, sure kept my arse out of trouble.

[Liz]

Didn't (Pelicano) do some work for bill & hill at one time?

That's from what we know (God only knows what they've hidden). Betcha Pelicano was
hired to investigate dirt on Bill's enemies as well as to sit on all those "bimbo eruptions."

[Southack]

Actually, there could be more going on than meets the eye.

Pellicano was caught with *military* explosives: two hand grenades and C-4/SEMTEX.

C-4 or a close derivative of it was what the shoe bomber Richard Reed tried to use to blow up that flight from Paris to Miami.

And a civilian private eye has little use for hand grenades, as using one against a car would trigger a massive federal investigation.

The timing is also interesting, since Pelicano's C-4 and hand grenades were discovered by authorities at the time when Governor Davis had called out the National Guard to protect the Golden Gate bridge and other high profile locations (e.g., LAX).

Methinks Pelicanno was far too interested in pleading guilty to the unregistered weapons charges, too.

Hmmm...

[Dante3]

Private eye Rizzo had plenty to say about this guy and how he intimidated possible witnesses and accusers.

[AdamSelene235]

Methinks Pelicanno was hired by M. Jackson and Hillary for the same purpose: The intimidation of sexual assualt victims.

[jimbo123]

The Pelican is well known for bugging the offices and homes of his clients' opponents. Example:

Tom Cruise hires divorce lawyer.

Divorce lawyer hires the Pellican.

Pellican bugs Nicole Kidman and her lawyers.

Pellican provides info from bugs back to Tom Cruise lawyer.

Tom Cruise lawyer uses info from bug in divorce settlement negotiations.

Tom Cruise lawyer denies he hired Pellican to plant bugs.

Tom Cruise lawyer very nervous since Pellican bugged their conversations about planting bugs to get dirt, too.

Tom Cruise lawyer preparing for future prison-love episodes.

[jimbo123]

Bert Fields, the prominent entertainment lawyer whose celebrity clientele has included Tom Cruise, Michael Jackson and Kevin Costner, said Tuesday that he has formally been notified that he is a subject of a federal grand jury investigation into illegal wiretapping.

"I've been told that I am a subject, not a target, of the investigation," Fields said. "But I have never in any case had anything to do with illegal wiretapping. I don't do that."

[Liz]

Nice deconstruction. It was strikingly odd that he was so willing to go to jail. Wonder what else he's hiding and if they got the goods on him.

[Liz]

Yeah, shure. Sittin' heah in da dooble wide wit mah car up
on cindah blox.......ah bulieves im, yassuh, ah bulieves im.