Anthony Pellicano Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison
The sordid saga of wiretapping, divorce-aiding, dead-fish wielding private eye to the stars Anthony Pellicano finally ended today with his sentencing to 15 years in federal prison.
Pellicano, 64, was convicted last May of 78 counts of wiretapping, wire fraud, racketeering and conspiracy that ensnared eventual trial witnesses Chris Rock, Michael Ovitz, Brad Grey, Bert Fields and former LA Times journalist Anita Busch, the latter of whose searing testimony earlier this year was recalled in one final scold today before sentencing. The term was decidedly longer than the five-year, 10-month sentence originally recommended by the Probation Department; Pellicano and two of his co-defendants will also be responsible for paying $2 million in fines and restitution. That should keep his wife and daughters busy for a while; good luck to them, and good riddance to the Pelican.