Robert Halderman Indicted; David Letterman Affairs Are Latest Celebrity Extortion Scandal

Robert "Joe" Halderman, an Emmy Award-winning producer for the CBS news magazine "48 Hours" was indicted in New York Friday on one count of attempted grand larceny in his involvement in attempting to extort $2 million from talk show host David Letterman. He pleaded not guilty. Robert Halderman was arrested Thursday in a "sting" operation wherein David Letterman participated vicariously, according to the New York Daily News, handing the blackmailer a phony $2 million check through his lawyer on Wednesday. The arrest of Robert J. Halderman came as a result of an investigation after David Letterman discovered a package detailing an extortion plot three weeks ago in his car.

Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau said, "The message of this indictment should be clear. New York City will not tolerate the coercion or extortion of anyone, be the victim rich or poor, famous or anonymous."

David Letterman immediately notified his lawyer, whose name has not been disclosed, and he set up a meeting with Robert Haldeman at the Essex House for September 16. A second meeting, where the lawyer was wearing a wire, occurred on September 23. Halderman, who demanded $2 million dollars in exchange for silence and the information he had compiled for a "treatment" (screenplay) of David Letterman's alleged affairs with talk show staffers over the years, directed the lawyer to bring the money to the Essex House on September 30. The lawyer gave Robert Halderman the fake check Wednesday, federal authorities recording everything in an adjoining room. Authorities arrested Halderman when he attempted to deposit the check Thursday.

David Letterman "confessed" to having sexual affairs with some female staffers on his show Thursday night, revealing that he had made an attempt to protect his family, those he had had relationships with over the years, himself, and his job.

Letterman is just the latest celebrity to feel the cold demands of an extortion attempt. John Travolta is currently involved in the trial of two men involved in an extortion attempt against him and his family regarding the death of his son, Jett, back in January. John Travolta testified against the two men, a paramedic and a Bahamian senator, last week. They were attempting to extort $25 million from him not to disclose a document he signed.

Back in 2007, Marc Gittleman stole a wedding picture that belonged to Tom Cruise and tried to extort the star for $1.3 million. He was sentenced to two years probation and fined $3,000. Gittleman hanged himself last month.

Keifer Bonvillian was arrested in 2007 after attempting to extort $1.5 million from Oprah Winfrey. Bonvillian claimed he had audiotapes with damaging material that would ruin Oprah's career.

In 2005, Cameron Diaz saw her blackmailer, John Rutter, jailed for three years after he threatened to release a set of racy photos of her that were taken before she became a celebrity.

Even Adrienne Bailon, famous as one of Disney's "Cheetah Girls," was extorted for $1,000 for the return of a laptop computer that contained compromising nude pictures. They retrieved the computer but the files she was most interested in were missing. They were uploaded to the internet and she later apologized to her fans.

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Sources:

NYDailyNews.com
"Scandalized Stars," New York Daily News
CNN.com