Producer Pleads Guilty in Letterman Extortion Plot

MYFOXNY.COM - The man accused of attempting to extort $2 million from TV host David Letterman pleaded guilty in connection with the case on Tuesday. Robert "Joe" Halderman, a producer for "48 Hours Mystery," was allegedly angry over an affair Letterman was having with his girlfriend, Stephanie Birkitt.

Halderman, 51, pleaded guilty to second-degree attempted grand larceny, a class-D felony. A judge sentenced him to six months in prison, five years of probation, and 1,000 hours of community service.

In state Supreme Court for New York County in Manhattan, Halderman read a statement apologizing to Letterman, his family, and Birkitt.

District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. said Halderman's guilty plea sends a "strong message."

"If you commit this type of crime in Manhattan, whether you threaten to extort a celebrity or any other citizen, you will be investigated, prosecuted and you will almost certainly go to jail," Vance said in a written statement. "By not giving in to the defendant's extortionate demands for millions of dollars, and instead taking the courageous step of reporting the crime to law enforcement, Mr. Letterman risked the disclosure of certain aspects of his private life. I commend Mr. Letterman for making the difficult but unquestionably right decision to report this crime to my Office and thank him for his full and complete cooperation throughout the investigation and prosecution of the case."

The New York Post first reported the plea deal.

Halderman lost an earlier bid to have the charges dropped.

Prosecutors accused Halderman of trying to extort Letterman with information from Birkitt's diary, which detailed her affair with Letterman. Birkitt is an employee of Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants, which produces "Late Show with David Letterman."

Halderman approached Letterman with a so-called movie script treatment that apparently was a thinly veiled outline of Letterman's life.

Letterman acknowledged during his show that he has had multiple relationships with female staffers.