Music Producer to plead guilty today in the Pellicano case

Robert Pfeifer, one of the defendants in the Pellicano wiretap case, is scheduled to appear in a Los Angeles federal court this afternoon at 1:30 PM before Judge Fischer to plead guilty.

According to prosecutors Pfeifer threatened in e-mails to flee the country or kill himself rather than face charges and disgrace.

This is yet another indication of a deal to cooperate in the prosecution of others in this growing Hollywood eavesdropping scandal.

When Pellicano sees that he will never get out of prison, many like me believe he will betray all of his clients. Pellicano will then enjoy his retirement in the witness protection program...

3:50 PM an update:
The following is straight from the U.S. Attorney:
This afternoon, before Judge Fischer, Robert Pfeifer pleaded guilty to wiretapping.
Judge Fischer scheduled a sentencing hearing for June 26.
The maximum sentence for the offense is five years in federal prison.

Following the entry of the guilty plea, we agreed that Pfeifer could be released on bond. Judge Fischer subsequently set bond at $1 million. However, Pfeifer will not be released until next week because he must deed over his house to secure the bond.

At today's court hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Lally read the following into the record to support Pfeifer's guilty plea:

FACTUAL BASIS

In July 2000, defendant retained Anthony Pellicano as a private investigator in connection with litigation against his former employer, Z-Axis. Beginning no later than August 2, 2000, Pellicano used an electronic, mechanical, or other device to conduct an illegal wiretap of the telephone of defendant’s ex-girlfriend Erin Finn, who had given a deposition adverse to defendant in the Z-Axis litigation. Defendant was fully aware of the wiretap and discussed with Pellicano the interception of Finn’s telephone calls, including calls between Finn and her attorneys, and the information that Pellicano was obtaining from the wiretap. Between July and December 2000, defendant paid at least $125,000 to Pellicano, which he understood would be used in part to finance the wiretapping of Finn.

At approximately 12:30 a.m. on June 23, 2003, while the federal investigation of defendant and others was ongoing, defendant telephoned Erin Finn. Defendant asked Finn if she was a “snitch” and stated that he would disclose that fact. Defendant intended by these statements to influence Finn in connection with her status as a witness in the investigation.

More!

Nikki Finke tells us abut Pellicano’s “Telesluth” program and how the feds cracked the encryption to examine the evidence that led to the wiretapping indictments.

For me that raises serious Fourth Amendment issues. The cops were not looking for wiretapping evidence when they raided Pellicano’s offices. They apparently believed that he was wiretapping and took encrypted evidence without knowing what it was. I see a big test ahead for whatever the prosecutors try to introduce as evidence. This case is far from a done deal as I see it.

Nikki’s article…