Hollywood Private Eye to the Stars and the Clintons in Hot Water
By Jim Kouri CPP (01/13/06)
There are probably two private detectives who are considered the leading private eyes for the stars: Former NYPD detective Bo Dietl on the east coast, and Anthony Pellicano on the west coast.
Of the two only one -- Tony Pellicano -- is the subject of an ongoing federal investigation into illegal wiretapping by a high-profile private detective in Hollywood known as The Pelican. Two witnesses -- his ex-girlfriend, and the other police officer -- on Tuesday pleaded guilty to having lied to a grand jury about the detective's use of wiretaps and other illegal tactics.
These pleas, one coming from the former wife of the actor Keith Carradine, add grist for the mill of a criminal case that some suspect will rise into the highest echelons of the Hollywood elite. When the investigation first began, the studio establishment in Los Angeles was on the edge of their seats. Suddenly The Pelican's client list became a list of suspects for the feds.
At the center of this blossoming investigation is Anthony Pellicano. Until the time the police raided his Hollywood offices in 2002, he was hailed as one of the most successful private detectives in the city, with a roster of clients that included A-list actors and some of the industry's most important lawyers who represent Dustin Hoffman, Tom Cruise, Michael Jackson and many other showbiz bigwigs.
Pellicano is already in prison on federal charges of possessing explosives and grenades at his office, although he is due to be released on parole next month. So far, the federal government has filed no new charges against him, but federal investigators aren't finished with their widening probe.
The Pelican was also suspected of being retained by Bill and Hillary Clinton as part of their network of goons who harassed women who were considered a political liability for Bill Clinton while he was president. The well-paid private eye may have been involved in the Clintons' clandestine activities such as digging up dirt on those they deemed a threat.
His downfall began in 2002 when a reporter for the Los Angeles Times returned to her automobile one day, to find a fish with a rose painted in its mouth on the roof of the car. She understood the symbolism of the fish as a sign from the Mafia or some wannabe that she would "sleep with the fishes." In addition, the windshield was smashed to make it look like it had been pierced by a bullet. She found a simple written message: "Stop!"
Anita Busch, had been reporting on the case involving the actor Steven Seagal and a purported Mafia operative named Julius Nasso. Police investigators said the fish had been planted by an ex-convict named Alexander Proctor. They charged him and then became suspicious that he had done it at the behest of Pellicano, head of the Pellicano Investigative Agency Ltd.
At that point, armed with warrants, investigators raided the company offices and found more than they had hope for. They found dangerous explosives as well as $200,000 in gold bullion, cash and jewelry. In addition, the investigators found evidence on Pellicano's computers that he was illegally wiretapping people on behalf of his clients. Even more disturbing, they discovered that Pellicano managed to gain access to police data on individuals.
Sandra Carradine, a girlfriend of Pellicano and herself an actress, admitted that Pellicano had secretly wiretapped the telephone of her former husband. Her ex, Keith Carradine, now dates another actress, Hayley DuMond. The illegal wiretaps occurred during a fierce divorce battle over child custody. Sandra told investigators and prosecutors that she will cooperate with their investigation of Pellicano. Her lawyer claims that the reason she first lied when asked about the wiretapping was to protect her boyfriend.
A second guilty plea in the case was from a member of the Beverly Hills Police Department, who admitted that he had lied to the grand jury about illegally accessing files from police data bases and peddling the information to Pellicano.
Officer Craig Stevens resigned from the police force last Friday. He faces over 30 years in prison, while the prison term for Ms. Carradine could reach as much as 10 years.
According to the British newspaper, The Independent, with Ms. Carradine and the ex-police officer now committed to cooperating in the investigation, prosecutors may move swiftly to close the net on the man known as The Pelican. A lawyer for Pellicano insisted this week, however, that his client would maintain his silence, as he has in prison.
"It won't work -- I don't care how much they pressure him," said Victor Sherman. "He's not going to bend."
One of Pellicano's lawyer clients, Bert Fields, continues to maintain that while he has been questioned by investigators, he had no knowledge of any illegal wiretapping.
But the details of the data theft given up by Mr. Stevens may draw Mr. Fields deeper into the affair. He said he sold protected information to Pellicano concerning a former Hollywood producer and gubernatorial candidate in Nevada named Aaron Russo, as well three of his relatives. Mr. Russo was being sued at the time by a New York asset manager, who had hired Mr. Fields, according to The Independent.
A lawyer representing Mr. Fields, John Keker, said his client was in the clear. "Bert Fields is completely innocent of any wrongdoing," he said. That remains to be seen.
While New York City's Bo Dietl is an upstanding private investigator and security manager with tremendous credibility here and abroad, his counterpart in Los Angeles is the stereotypical sleazy private eye, perhaps as sleazy as the folks who hire him including the Clintons. How ironic it is that Bill and Hillary have so much in common with Hollywood crowd; including their chose for a private eye.
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