LOS ANGELES - The first criminal cases from the alleged wiretapping scheme of private investigator Anthony Pellicano were disclosed Tuesday, setting the stage for a steady stream of indictments that could ensnare some of Hollywood's top attorneys and executives.
Actress Sandra Carradine, former wife of actor Keith Carradine, has pleaded guilty to perjury for lying to a grand jury about having Pellicano wiretap her ex-husband's telephone during their divorce, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
A veteran of the Beverly Hills Police Department has separately pleaded guilty to accessing confidential law enforcement databases for Pellicano and employees of his West Hollywood-based Pellicano Investigative Agency Ltd.
More indictments are expected soon, including that of Pellicano, who is finishing a 30-month federal prison sentence on a separate case of possessing illegal weapons. The common belief is that prosecutors want to turn up the heat so Pellicano will implicate former clients who either knew of or directed the illegal wiretapping.
Pellicano's attorney, Victor Sherman, said Tuesday that his client would not break the silence he has maintained throughout his prosecution and imprisonment.
"It won't work -- I don't care how much they pressure him, he's not going to bend," said Sherman, who does not plan to represent Pellicano on any new charges.
Prosecutors, who declined comment, said a grand jury continues to investigate this case as they have for the past three years.
The case against Carradine was unsealed Tuesday by U.S. District Court Judge Robert Takasugi. She pleaded guilty Friday to two counts of perjury that could send her to prison for 10 years. Sentencing is scheduled for September 25.
Acting U.S. Attorney George Cardona and FBI assistant director J. Stephen Tidwell also said that Craig Stevens, a 24-year veteran of the Beverly Hills Police Department, pleaded guilty Monday to seven felonies, including wire fraud and unauthorized access to protected computers.
According to prosecutors, Stevens admitted to using state and federal databases to supply criminal histories and other information to Pellicano. He also acknowledged lying to the FBI about it.
Stevens is scheduled to be sentenced October 16 and faces up to 35 years in prison. He resigned from the police department Friday.
Pellicano and Alexander Proctor, who also remains in federal custody on drug charges, face prosecution from state authorities as well. Both were charged in June with conspiracy for allegedly threatening former Los Angeles Times reporter Anita Busch in 2002.
Busch, former editor of The Hollywood Reporter, was investigating a connection between actor Steven Seagal and reputed Mafia associate Julius Nasso.
Proctor placed a dead fish with a rose in its mouth on the windshield of Busch's car, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. It also is alleged that Proctor made a hole in the windshield, presumably to appear like a bullet hole, and attached a sign reading "stop."
Suspicions that Busch's phone was being tapped led the FBI in November 2002 to raid Pellicano's office, where they discovered illegal firearms and explosives as well as alleged evidence of a widespread wiretapping scheme.
Attention immediately turned to Pellicano's high-profile clients like attorney Bert Fields, who steadfastly has denied ordering or knowing of any illegal wiretapping. Fields, whose clients have included Tom Cruise, Michael Jackson and Kevin Costner, has acknowledged being questioned by the FBI on this matter.
Prosecutors got a major break in June when a federal court gave them access to transcripts of the wiretaps found in Pellicano's office.
Legal experts say prosecutors ideally would need an admission or physical evidence to prove that Pellicano was instructed to conduct the wiretaps. Such instructions could rise to the level of conspiracy, a far more serious charge than wiretapping.
Clients who knew of the alleged illegal activity are not protected by attorney-client privilege.
