Hollywood private eye convicted in wiretap
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Mark Antony Pellicano, known as Hollywood's private eye to the stars, was convicted on Thursday of running a vast criminal go-ahead involving wiretapping and graft to fix the problems of his wealthy clients.
After a two month trial that exposed the seamy side of the picture industriousness and featured a celebrity-heavy witness number, a Los Angeles federal official jury convicted Pellicano on totally but one of the 77 charges against him.
His iV co-defendants, including a former law officer, a telephony company official and a calculator expert world Health Organization designed the sophisticated "Telesleuth" wiretapping device, were set up guilty on nearly of the gobs of charges they faced.
Pellicano, 64, wHO pleaded non guilty and conducted his own rambling united States Department of Defense dressed in prison house dress, is expected to pass the rest of his living in arrears bars when he is sentenced in Sep. He has already served time for weapons and explosives possession.
The vet private investigator, world Health Organization in one case worked for lawyers representing Tom Cruise, Elizabeth Elizabeth Taylor and Michael Capital of Mississippi, presented himself as the ultimate problem convergent thinker.
He was charged with racketeering -- under U.S. laws in the first place used against the Maffia -- and with wiretapping and unlawfully obtaining information around troublesome foes.
Picture show stars Chris Stone and Garry Shandling, and Paramount Pictures chief executive Brad Gray and former Walt Walter Elias Disney Co president Michael Ovitz were among a string of witnesses world Health Organization testified they hired Pellicano, or were spied on by him, during disputes ranging from cheating spouses and paternity lawsuits to show business contracts.
The outlook of the trial run had kept Hollywood abuzz for years simply totally of those testifying said they were unaware of any illegal activities by Pellicano, and none was charged.
Ralph Towner With Glen Moore
