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Shandling Says Private Eye Smeared Him

Posted Mar 14, 08 10:41 AM CDT in Gossip 

(Newser) – Comedian Garry Shandling took the stand yesterday and accused Los Angeles private eye Anthony Pellicano of using underhanded tactics to "smear" him. Shandling’s former manager hired Pellicano after promising to “make my life miserable,” Shandling said. The FBI soon told Shandling that the detective had rifled through confidential police files, looking for dirt on him and his friends, and planted negative stories in the media.

Shandling is the first celebrity witness in what promises to be a star-studded trial. Asked what he did for a living, he drew laughs by replying, “That’s a bad sign. I'm a comedian.” But the rest of his testimony was serious and even emotional, the LA Times reports. Pellicano faces more than a century in prison on 110 counts of wiretapping, conspiracy, and racketeering, among other charges.

Source Los Angeles Times

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Garry Shandling attends a post-debate political party at the Roosevelt Hotel on Jan. 31, 2008 in Los Angeles.   (Getty Images)
Actor-comedian Garry Shandling is shown in this April 10, 2007, file photo, taken in Beverly Hills, Calif. Shandling testified Thursday, March 13, 2008, at the trial of private eye Anthony Pellicano.   (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
In this artist's depiction, private investigator Anthony Pellicano, wearing a green jail jumpsuit, is seen acting as his own attorney during his federal wiretapping case.   (AP Photo/Bill Robles)
Sylvester Stallone appears in this file photo. Stallone says he wouldn't mind squaring off against private investigator Anthony Pellicano, who's accused of tapping his phone.   (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza, file)
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Hollywood • celebrity trials • wiretap • Anthony Pellicano • private eye • Garry Shandling


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