Sources Say Letterman Blackmailer Intent on Trial

By Andrew Gauthier 

The New York Observer

Joe Halderman, the CBS News producer accused of attempting to extort $2 million from CBS Late Show star David Letterman, will be headed to a Manhattan court on Tuesday morning for the first hearing in the criminal case against him.

Will Mr. Halderman, as it is widely assumed, try and reach a hasty plea agreement with prosecutors, beginning with Tuesday’s motions hearing?

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That’s unlikely, according to a source close to Mr. Halderman.

Over the weekend, Dr. Bob Arnot, a friend and former colleague of Mr. Halderman, told The Observer that Mr. Halderman is currently planning to try and take the case all the way to trial. In a recent interview with Newsday’s Verne Gay, Mr. Halderman’s attorney Gerald Shargel likewise suggested that no plea agreement is in the works.

That’s something of a surprise to those who have closely followed the case. More…

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