VIDEO: Letterman Extortionist Pleads Guilty; Apologizes To Talk Show Host
March 9 2010, Published 4:50 a.m. ET
Moments after Robert “Joe” Halderman pleaded guilty to attempting to blackmail David Letterman, the former producer for CBS’ 48 Hours stepped before cameras and publicly apologized to the iconic talk show host.
Halderman, 52, entered the guilty plea Tuesday afternoon in New York to the charge of attempted 2nd degree grand larceny.
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In a brief statement after the hearing, Halderman said: “I just wanted to say again I apologize to Mr. Letterman, his family, to Stephanie Birkitt, her family, and certainly to my friends and family. I will not be doing any interviews, and I thank you all for your patience.”
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In exchange for his guilty plea, Halderman will serve six months in prison. If convicted without a plea deal, Halderman faced up to 15 years behind bars.
In addition, he was placed on 5 years probation and ordered to perform 1000 hours of community service.
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Halderman was accused of trying to extort $2 million from Letterman to keep quiet about the talk show host's extramarital affairs.
In the past, his lawyer said that Halderman was just offering the Late Show host a chance to buy and keep private a screenplay about his life.
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