Letterman accuser pleads guilty

NEW YORK, Tuesday

A television producer pleaded guilty today to trying to extort $2 million from US talk show host David Letterman by threatening to reveal his affairs with women who worked on his late-night program on CBS.

Mr Robert Joel Halderman, a former producer for the CBS news programme “48 Hours Mystery,” reached a deal with prosecutors in which he pleaded guilty to attempted grand larceny in exchange for serving six months in jail, performing 1,000 hours of community service and giving up his right to appeal.

The case engulfed Letterman in a scandal when it became public in October, prompting the married comedian to admit to the affairs on the air. But it faded into the background weeks later when superstar golfer Tiger Woods’ affairs were exposed. (Reuters)