Mar 19, 2007 3:10 pm US/Pacific
Pellicano, 5 Co-Defendants Plead Not Guilty
Sleuth, Others Face Revised Wiretapping, Racketeering Indictment
LOS ANGELES (CBS) ―
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The revised indictment returned Feb. 14 did not name new defendants but did expand on allegations that Pellicano wiretapped the ex-wife of Kirk Kerkorian on behalf of the billionaire's attorney.
AP
Sleuth-to-the-stars Anthony Pellicano and five co-defendants pleaded not guilty Monday to a revised version of a federal wiretapping and racketeering indictment.
The revised indictment returned Feb. 14 did not name new defendants but did expand on allegations that Pellicano wiretapped the ex-wife of Kirk Kerkorian on behalf of the billionaire's attorney.
The new version alleges that on April 22, 2002, Pellicano told Kerkorian's lawyer, Terry Christensen, that he "could hear the sigh of relief" in the voice of Lisa Bonder Kerkorian during an intercepted phone call.
The indictment also expands on the prosecution's contention that Pellicano -- who was allegedly hired by Christensen during a child-support dispute between Kerkorian and his ex-wife -- listened to her talking to people involved in the legal case, including her lawyer and a mediator.
Regarding a discussion between Bonder Kerkorian and the mediator, Pellicano told Christensen he was "going to hear it for myself," the indictment states.
On the day that conversation took place, the private investigator allegedly told Christensen he had 80 intercepted phone calls to listen to "just from today," according to the indictment.
Pellicano, Christensen and the other four defendants awaiting trial previously pleaded not guilty in the case. They are scheduled to be tried together in August.
Kerkorian has not been indicted, and the revised charging document stops short of alleging he knew about the wiretaps. The revised indictment states Christensen told Pellicano on March 18, 2002, that "the people related to me
don't want to do this."
Christensen's attorney, Terree Bowers, said when the revised indictment was returned that the added references regarding that March 2002 conversation are "brazenly false."
Bowers accused prosecutors of trying to strike back at Christensen for his claims that they engaged in misconduct. Christensen's side has also claimed the prosecution has been disorganized.
An attorney for Pellicano, Steven Gruel, has said the changes to the indictment "add nothing new to this case."
"Seems to me (prosecutors) have been wasting their time in front of the grand jury rather than dealing with the issues we've raised," Gruel said.
"I'd rather get this case to trial than deal with meaningless accusations."
Pellicano, 62, is jailed while awaiting trial.
The revised version of the indictment against him marks the fourth time prosecutors have modified the charging document. One of the previous versions added Christensen as a defendant.
(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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