Robert “Joe” Halderman, the CBS “48 Hours” producer accused of attempting to blackmail David Letterman for $2 million, will plead guilty in Manhattan today to attempted extortion, according to the NYTimes and the NYPost.
The Times’ reports that Halderman “will serve six months in jail, according to two people briefed on the case,” and that “Mr. Halderman will also serve four and a half years probation and must perform 1,000 hours of community service.”
Update: CNN took Halderman and his attorney’s press conference live at 2:32pmET. “This afternoon, we entered a plea of guilty. Mr. Halderman plead guilty to attempted grand larceny by extortion, and he’s done it in an effort to resolve this matter, it is now behind him,” said Halderman’s attorney, Gerald Shargell, who also said he had not spoken to Letterman.
Halderman, in a very brief statement, apologized to Letterman and his family and said that he would not be doing any interviews.
More: Letterman released a statement thanking the Manhattan DA’s office and the NYPD.