'Die Hard' Director Gets 12 Months for Lying to Feds in Hollywood PI Wiretap Case
John McTiernan, who directed Die Hard and The Hunt for Red October, among other well-known movies, has been sentenced to 12 months for his peripheral role in a celebrity wiretap case that also brought down a private investigator and a California lawyer.
McTiernan, 59, who is apparently appealing, was also ordered to pay a $100,000 fine after pleading guilty this summer to two counts of making false statements to the FBI and one count of perjury (lying to a federal judge during an attempt to withdraw a plea of guilty), recounts the Hollywood Reporter.
An Associated Press article gives further details about his case.
The private investigator, Anthony Pellicano, got 15 years and attorney Terry Christensen was sentenced to three years for their role in wiretapping celebrities and the well-to-do to gain an edge in family court litigation and other matters.
As discussed in a recent National Law Journal article, they and four other defendants are now before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals contesting their convictions, based on alleged prosecutor and juror misconduct.
Related coverage:
ABAJournal.com (2008): “LA Lawyer Gets 3 Years in Wiretap Case, Not Beverly Hills Home Confinement”
ABAJournal.com (2009): “Editor Sues Tom Cruise, Says Actor, Lawyer & PI Illegally Wiretapped Him”
