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NY Observer – Joe Halderman, the CBS News producer accused of attempting to extort $2 million from CBS Late Show star David Letterman, will be headed to a Manhattan court on Tuesday morning for the first hearing in the criminal case against him.
Will Mr. Halderman, as it is widely assumed, try and reach a hasty plea agreement with prosecutors, beginning with Tuesday’s motions hearing?
That’s unlikely, according to a source close to Mr. Halderman.
Over the weekend, Dr. Bob Arnot, a friend and former colleague of Mr. Halderman, told The Observer that Mr. Halderman is currently planning to try and take the case all the way to trial. In a recent interview with Newsday’s Verne Gay, Mr. Halderman’s attorney Gerald Shargel likewise suggested that no plea agreement is in the works.
That’s something of a surprise to those who have closely followed the case.Ever since Mr. Halderman’s initial October 1 arrest on charges of attempted grand larceny, it’s been widely assumed that the troubled 48 Hours Mystery producer would quickly try to reach a plea agreement with prosecutors.
Those assumptions were based in part on widespread reports of Mr. Halderman’s financial problems. Mr. Halderman was making roughly $214,000-a-year from CBS at the time of his arrest and owed roughly $6,000 a month in child-support payments to his ex-wife, while also holding a series of hefty mortgages.
