Isn't the account of the extortion attempt against David Letterman the strangest thing you've heard? A producer of a true crime program was so un-savvy that he wrote out his demands, and then took them to a meeting with an attorney (an officer of the court) present? Geez.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/10/02/entertainment/main5358649.shtml

A CBS News employee has been indicted in an alleged blackmail plot against David Letterman, who was forced to acknowledge sexual relationships with female staffers on his show after the man tried to blackmail him for $2 million, the Manhattan district attorney said Friday.

Robert J. "Joe" Halderman, a producer for the true-crime show "48 Hours," was arrested Thursday and indicted on one count of attempted first-degree grand larceny, punishable by five to 15 years upon conviction, District Attorney Robert Morgenthau said.

"Our concern here is extortion, and that's what we're focusing on," Morgenthau said.

The district attorney's office said Halderman left a letter and other material for Letterman early Sept. 9. He wrote that he needed "to make a large chunk of money" by selling Letterman a screenplay treatment.

The letter told Letterman that his world would "collapse around him" when information about his private life was disclosed. He said it would lead to "a ruined reputation" and severe damage to his professional and family life.

Letterman immediately contacted his lawyer, who arranged a meeting with Halderman. At the meeting, Halderman demanded $2 million to keep the material secret, the district attorney's office said. After the meeting, Letterman and his lawyer contacted the DA's office and the investigation began.

In an extraordinary monologue before millions of viewers, the late-night host admitted that he had sexual relationships with female employees. Letterman said that "this whole thing has been quite scary," but he mixed in jokes while outlining what had happened to him.

Read the rest at the link.

SRS