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Producer admits trying to blackmail Letterman
A former TV producer pressured by debt and driven by jealousy admitted Tuesday that he tried to shake down David Letterman in a case that bared the late-night icon’s affairs with staffers.
Robert “Joe” Halderman , 52, pleaded guilty to attempted grand larceny, acknowledging he tried to get $2 million from Letterman. He threatened to destroy the late-night star’s reputation by airing his workplace dalliances – using information authorities have said Halderman mined from an ex-girlfriend’s diary.
The plea deal by Halderman, a producer for CBS’ “48 Hours Mystery” at the time, spares him a potential 15 years in prison had he been convicted. He is due instead to get a six-month jail sentence and 1,000 hours of community service.
It also spares Letterman the prospect of a trial that could have put his private life on display, though the comedian masterfully defused much of Halderman’s potential bombshell last fall by revealing himself that he had slept with women on his staff.
Halderman apologized to the host of CBS’ “Late Show” as he spelled out the details of his crime in a Manhattan court, reading a prepared statement: “I attempted to extort $2 million from David Letterman by threatening to disclose personal and private information about him, whether true or false,” he said. “I feel great remorse for what I have done.”
Halderman remains free on bail until his sentencing May 4.
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– Associated Press