CBS says accused Letterman extortionist works on '48 Hours'

CBS has revealed that the person accused in a $2-million blackmail plot against talk show host David Letterman is a network employee who works on the true-crime show "48 Hours."

At a taping of tonight's "Late Show," Letterman told the studio audience that an unnamed person had approached him and threatened to reveal details of the host's sexual liaisons with female staffers unless a payment of $2 million was received. Letterman said he admitted to the sexual relationships during grand jury testimony.

In a statement late Thursday, the network said: "CBS was made aware of an ongoing police investigation involving David Letterman and an employee at '48 Hours,' who was subsequently arrested earlier today on charges of attempted grand larceny in the first degree." The employee had been suspended pending the outcome of the investigation, the network added.

"Mr. Letterman addressed the issue during the show's broadcast this evening, and we believe his comments speak for themselves," the network said in the statement.

--Scott Collins 

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In this Jan. 17, 2008 file photo, television talk show host David Letterman walks out of The Ed Sullivan Theater in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Agostini, file)

Comments

[villeneuve louise]

who has not done that? Good call, appciate your honesty,i could have been one of these girls i love your wit,thank you for my daily laughter,be proud, you love your Harry and had the courage to grab the bull by the horns.you beat them to the punch. we don't care about office woophi...Chapeau! louise

[Middle America]

Say what? A celebrity acknowledging his behavior? Mr. Polanski take note - this is what someone does when they screw up. Of course in your case, you raped a little girl - you should be begging for forgiveness, not hiding like a coward. Shame on you, and shame on your supporters that can so easily brush aside the rape of a 13 year old.

[Gusto Lopez]

what a dirt bag. He has had a girlfriend for many years and cheats on her behind her back. He was probably too cheap to buy the guy off and would rather ruin his relationship and his name just to avoid paying off for something he was wrong to do in the first place. I have no respect for him.

[Dee Frazier]

I think Dave wasn't hesitant to go to the police, because his marriage is one of convenience, and it probably wouldn't cause too much strife in his life anyway. After all, he waited until Harry was born, and had many months in before he even married the mother. I applaud him for going to the police. When you are that rich, you don't have to submit to anyone unless you're a politician, and chances are, it won't hurt his ratings at all. Probably will increase them if anything. I can't wait to know what "48 hours" employee did the blackmailing.

[LakerMike (aka CyberCosmiX)]

Letterman is an indecent scumbag. How dare he call out Sarah Palin's daughter, he is far worse, cheating on his wife at his age. Shame on him...

[Mike OHara]

If you do things that might be a basis for blackmail, you might get blackmailed. I am both impressed--I didn't think Dave had it in him--and depressed--I didn't know Dave was so foolish.

[rick kato]

we are not well informed about the situation. for me it is not really clear the time frame in which this events took place. but lets say that it was on recent days. ok that is something between the girls in the late night show the wife and Mr. Letterman. its not that i support him but i think that we have more important things to think about this days that somebody that had sex with women in work. the only outcome that i see is good ratings for the show. i do not support completely this kind of behaviors but to be honest i do like his show and i like his monologues. any body makes mistakes and at least he has come clean. everybody is entitled to have an opinion but remember one thing nobody is perfect. and we all get in to trouble once in a while.

have a great day everybody.....

[Kurt]

Response to LAKERMIKE .......Did he really cheat on his wife? He just married her in spring of this year and the sex occurred while he was single. Is that a crime? If fidelity is important to you, why do you embrace rapist Kobe? Do you overlook Kobe's infidelity as a LAKER FAN?

[Still Curious]

I would like to know if all of these relationships were consensual from the start. Folks need to remember there are inevitable power dynamics when a man of Dave's stature expresses interest in a staffer. Could she say no and keep her job? Could she spurn Dave's interest and still find favor in the workplace? Could she ignore Dave or play dumb and still get by? I admired Dave's seeming forthrightness, once he stopped joking about "creepy things he did". No, this isn't a heinous Polanski or pedophilic type crime-- unless Dave's been hitting on the summer interns. I never imagined Dave to be the choir-boy type, but geez, can't he keep the zipper up when it comes to staff? Workplace romance rarely avoids sticky, ugly drama.... c'mon, Dave. Go home and get your groove on!

[markiejoe]

Gee, a single man in show business had consensual sex with single women in show business. What a revelation!

Good for Dave, and good for John Travolta, for having the courage to stand up to these scumbag extortionists. Maybe we've turned the corner on these sleazeballs who think they can blackmail anybody and everybody in the public eye. Maybe now that John and Dave were successful in exposing them, any future blackmailers will think twice in the future.

[sallie]

Could that '48 Hours' producer Joe Halderman be any stupider? Good lord.

[Hobo Mike]

David Letterman has sex? Ewww.

[Jay Adler]

Can you imagine that we have both the Tonight Show and David Letterman in dueling banjo controversies? I think that Dave, after assailing Sarah Palin,her family and even A Rod as an alleged perpetrator compounded his guilt by continuing his vindictive ways against Ms. Palin who I am street wise enough to leave alone in any beef although she holds no office currently. Ms. Palin is married,a mother and is trying to raise a crippled child in a case that evidently may not significantly improve. In my old neighborhood I witnessed a single parent who ended up minding such an unfortunate person until she died. So his tactic is to ignore Ms. Palin's accomplishments, dismiss her family and eviscerate her every night. The latest calamity may or may not get worse but he really should have stopped the nonsense on the Alaskan politician when it chilled. Conan made some awful jokes and it is not going to help him under any condition. Inner cities are experiencing 50% unemployment, Newark does not want judo chops from him. Where is Ernie Kovacs and Jackie Gleason now that we need them?

[julie Runco]

This Robert guy Produces 48 hours a investigative program ...
He won an Emmy .. and he blackmails CBS biggest personality.. now he is under arrest this story well be investigated, and CBS 's CSI well do a show story-lined after this as well as " The Mentalist", " Cold Case " " Criminal Minds".
The story lines on some of these shows had 'I thought' unbelievable scenarios.. no more

[Baffled Observer]

Mr. Letterman may have done wrong in his personal life--we don't know. Whether he did or didn't, it's still personal. Others may disapprove, but unless he sexually harassed employees, it's strictly between him and his wife.

Consensual sex isn't a crime. Extortion is.

[Ron]

Dear Mr. Letterman,

You have displayed great courage and grace.

As the kids say: You da man.

Thank-you,
Yours,
- r

[charlie]

I think it is pretty bad when our culture is so desensitized about sin and its destructiveness that they laugh about adultery/and or fornication. Shame and discrace should be the reaction to this revelation... hint revelation 21:8 pray for God's forgiveness I am...

[DanO]

This guy's a dirt bad. I hope CBS kicks him to the curb, but doubtful. Makes you think again about his comments about Palin's daughter. Creepy, what a low life he is. Where really is this guys head at? The picture of David Letterman becomes more clear everyday. He needs help.

[prairie]

This is a Republican's dream. Here's a guy who can make a career out of producing a show about Letterman having sex with employees. Instead, he figures out how much that show would be worth to him if he produced it and he goes to Letterman and offers not to produce it for the same amount of money. This is good old American unregulated capitalism at its best. Sarah Palin would be proud. Instead, those damn democrats put in rules that limit a man's freedom to do business and charge what he wants for his product or service. I'm telling you, these unAmerican socialists are going to bring about the end of the America we all love.

[Dan]

There's a case in the Bible also about sex outside of marriage. Its lesson: "He that is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone."