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Steven Seagal, star of such three-word-titled, aikido-enhanced blockbuster entertainments as Above the Law, Hard to Kill, and Out for Justice, thinks that the FBI's overzealousness in drawing him into the Anthony Pellicano Wiretapping Trial of the Century (you may or may not remember the claims that he had something to do with the intimidation of a reporter who was working on some stories the actor may not have thoroughly enjoyed) is to blame for his career never reaching the stratospheric heights achieved by early 1990s peer Jean-Claude Van Damme. Seagal reaches out to the LAT with his hopes for an apology from the feds:

"False FBI accusations fueled thousands of articles saying that I terrorize journalists and associate with the Mafia," Seagal, 56, said recently in his first public comments on the case. "These kinds of inflammatory allegations scare studio heads and independent producers — and kill careers."

Laura Eimiller, an FBI spokeswoman, said she could not comment on Seagal's demand for an apology or on questions about the case. They "relate to an ongoing investigation which we are not at liberty to discuss," she said.

Seagal was past his prime earning years even before the Pellicano scandal broke in 2002. His career peaked in the 1990s with such blockbusters as "Under Siege." His last hit, "Exit Wounds," was released in 2001. Since then, he has made a dozen films that generated an estimated $25 million in total DVD sales, a fraction of what his movies used to take in.

"This controversy made the studios very nervous," said longtime Hollywood publicist Howard Bragman. "Let's be honest: Steven Seagal was no Harrison Ford when this happened. But these accusations certainly hastened his decline."

While Seagal might think wistfully of the huge piles of money potentially unearned during that "decline," he shouldn't discount what he's been able to accomplish in his mainstream Hollywood downtime—not only have his straight-to-video adventures allowed him the opportunity to travel the world in search of the most budget-friendly shoot locations former Soviet Bloc nations have to offer, he's also had the the chance to indulge his entrepreneurial and musical ambitions. Given the great success he's achieved in these other endeavors, he should think of his movie career as a noble martyr instead of a undignified FBI murder victim.