What Happened to John McTiernan?
04-04-06 | 10:33 AM
#28
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From: Guelph, Ontario
Wow...this is unbelievable...and like people pointed out, Rollerball was bad enough, now to go down for a charge directly associated with that flick is pretty awful...
MATT
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04-18-06 | 12:20 PM
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04-18-06 | 01:22 PM
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From: Right of Atilla The Hun
Christ, McTiernan's involved with Pellicano? Isn't the douchebag that caused a stir with Garry Shandling and whatever? How the mighty have fallen...(well, that was Rollerball...)
09-24-07 | 04:56 PM
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From: Los Angeles , California
John McTiernan Gets 4 Months in Prison
By RAQUEL MARIA DILLON, For The Associated Press 1 hour, 23 minutes ago
LOS ANGELES - A federal judge sentenced Hollywood director John McTiernan to four months in prison Monday after refusing to allow him to withdraw his guilty plea to charges of lying to the FBI about his association with disgraced private eye Anthony Pellicano.
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Judge Dale S. Fischer gave the director of such films as "Predator," "Die Hard," "The Hunt for Red October" and "The Thomas Crown Affair" until Jan. 15 to turn himself in to authorities. McTiernan's lawyer said he would appeal.
McTiernan also was ordered to pay a $100,000 fine.
When he entered his plea last year, McTiernan said he lied when he told an FBI agent the only time he used Pellicano's services was during his divorce. In actuality, he said, he hired Pellicano to wiretap Charles Roven, a producer who had worked with him on the 2002 box-office flop "Rollerball."
Pellicano, who served 2 1/2 years in federal prison for possessing illegal weapons, has pleaded not guilty to charges in a 111-count indictment accusing him of bugging phones and bribing police to get information on celebrities and others.
McTiernan was originally scheduled to be sentenced two weeks ago but that hearing was delayed after his lawyer asked that he be allowed to withdraw the plea and fight the charge. Attorney Milton Grimes said at the time that McTiernan hadn't had adequate legal representation when he entered the plea upon a previous lawyer's advice.
On Monday, the defense argued that when McTiernan spoke to the FBI agent he was tired from having returned from a long trip to Asia, was taking antibiotics for a sinus infection and had gone off his anti-depression medication.
The judge was not persuaded.
"I find these arguments completely lacking in credibility," she said.
The 56-year-old McTiernan did not speak.
Grimes said outside court he was disappointed in Fischer's ruling and would appeal.
He disagreed with Fischer's observation that McTiernan "lived a privileged life and simply wants to continue that."
"He's probably one of the most down-to-earth people I've met in Hollywood in my 30 years working here," Grimes said of McTiernan.
Authorities say Pellicano, who is scheduled to go on trial next year, is the ringleader of a scheme that was used to get dirt on clients in legal disputes.
Prosecutors claim Pellicano bribed law enforcement and phone company employees to gather information and that he illegally wiretapped Sylvester Stallone and other Hollywood notables. They say he also had police officers run the names of more than 60 people, including comedians Garry Shandling and Kevin Nealon, through government databases.
Pellicano, who is jailed without bail pending trial, has said he is innocent. He speculated during a jailhouse interview with The Associated Press last year that he might be the target of overzealous prosecutors.
Before he was imprisoned on the weapons charges, Pellicano's celebrity clients had at one time or another included such names as Elizabeth Taylor, Michael Jackson and Stallone, as well as high-profile Hollywood lawyers and agents.
Edit, changed it to 4 months.
LOS ANGELES - A federal judge sentenced Hollywood director John McTiernan to four months in prison Monday after refusing to allow him to withdraw his guilty plea to charges of lying to the FBI about his association with disgraced private eye Anthony Pellicano.
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Judge Dale S. Fischer gave the director of such films as "Predator," "Die Hard," "The Hunt for Red October" and "The Thomas Crown Affair" until Jan. 15 to turn himself in to authorities. McTiernan's lawyer said he would appeal.
McTiernan also was ordered to pay a $100,000 fine.
When he entered his plea last year, McTiernan said he lied when he told an FBI agent the only time he used Pellicano's services was during his divorce. In actuality, he said, he hired Pellicano to wiretap Charles Roven, a producer who had worked with him on the 2002 box-office flop "Rollerball."
Pellicano, who served 2 1/2 years in federal prison for possessing illegal weapons, has pleaded not guilty to charges in a 111-count indictment accusing him of bugging phones and bribing police to get information on celebrities and others.
McTiernan was originally scheduled to be sentenced two weeks ago but that hearing was delayed after his lawyer asked that he be allowed to withdraw the plea and fight the charge. Attorney Milton Grimes said at the time that McTiernan hadn't had adequate legal representation when he entered the plea upon a previous lawyer's advice.
On Monday, the defense argued that when McTiernan spoke to the FBI agent he was tired from having returned from a long trip to Asia, was taking antibiotics for a sinus infection and had gone off his anti-depression medication.
The judge was not persuaded.
"I find these arguments completely lacking in credibility," she said.
The 56-year-old McTiernan did not speak.
Grimes said outside court he was disappointed in Fischer's ruling and would appeal.
He disagreed with Fischer's observation that McTiernan "lived a privileged life and simply wants to continue that."
"He's probably one of the most down-to-earth people I've met in Hollywood in my 30 years working here," Grimes said of McTiernan.
Authorities say Pellicano, who is scheduled to go on trial next year, is the ringleader of a scheme that was used to get dirt on clients in legal disputes.
Prosecutors claim Pellicano bribed law enforcement and phone company employees to gather information and that he illegally wiretapped Sylvester Stallone and other Hollywood notables. They say he also had police officers run the names of more than 60 people, including comedians Garry Shandling and Kevin Nealon, through government databases.
Pellicano, who is jailed without bail pending trial, has said he is innocent. He speculated during a jailhouse interview with The Associated Press last year that he might be the target of overzealous prosecutors.
Before he was imprisoned on the weapons charges, Pellicano's celebrity clients had at one time or another included such names as Elizabeth Taylor, Michael Jackson and Stallone, as well as high-profile Hollywood lawyers and agents.
Edit, changed it to 4 months.
Last edited by SPiRAL; 09-24-07 at 05:10 PM.
09-24-07 | 05:10 PM
#38
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He deserves more than that for Rollerball...
09-24-07 | 05:13 PM
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From: Des Moines, WA
So he'll go to jail for 4 months because he lied to the FBI? Was he on a witness stand and sworn in? I guess lying to the FBI is impeding an investigation and therefore is a crime. Interesting.
09-24-07 | 06:25 PM
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From: Orange County, CA
Originally Posted by C-Mart
So he'll go to jail for 4 months because he lied to the FBI? Was he on a witness stand and sworn in? I guess lying to the FBI is impeding an investigation and therefore is a crime. Interesting.
09-24-07 | 08:45 PM
#42
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I was always under the impression that if you had a valid reason (changing lawyers, bad advice from previous counsel, etc) that you could withdraw a guilty plea.
I think the judge may have made a legal error there and given McTiernan grounds for appeal to a higher court. Of course, I'm no lawyer so I could easily be wrong...
I think the judge may have made a legal error there and given McTiernan grounds for appeal to a higher court. Of course, I'm no lawyer so I could easily be wrong...
09-24-07 | 09:22 PM
#43
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You can usually withdraw from a plea agreement in local, county municipalities, but rarely in federal pleas.
09-24-07 | 09:56 PM
#44
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So maybe he can make Die hard 5 when he is out, and it will actually be good.
09-25-07 | 10:40 AM
#46
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Originally Posted by Deftones
You can usually withdraw from a plea agreement in local, county municipalities, but rarely in federal pleas.
09-25-07 | 11:39 AM
#47
DVD Talk Legend
Well, that certainly sucks for him. I hope he can get it appealed. 4 months sounds like a long time for something like this, especially considering how little time other celebs get for far worse acts.
09-25-07 | 01:16 PM
#48
DVD Talk Legend
It's a federal crime and a light sentence, so I suspect he'd go to some minimal security federal prison, no? Certainly not optimal, but not too terrible either.
07-12-10 | 07:08 PM
#49
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Re: John McTiernan Gets 6 Months in Prison
McTiernan pleads guilty in his trial (which started today).
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/...DyJpQD9GTQ9706
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/...DyJpQD9GTQ9706
'Die Hard' director pleads guilty in wiretap case
(AP) – 40 minutes ago
LOS ANGELES — "Die Hard" director John McTiernan pleaded guilty Monday to lying to FBI agents and a judge during the investigation of Hollywood private investigator Anthony Pellicano in a wiretapping case.
McTiernan, 59, entered his plea to two counts of making false statements to the FBI and one count of perjury for lying to a federal judge while trying to withdraw a guilty plea. He could face up to a year in prison.
Attorney S. Todd Neal, who represents McTiernan, said the plea will allow his client to appeal certain pretrial rulings made by a federal judge.
"We continue to believe that the charges against him were developed in an unfair way," Neal said. "The FBI should not be in the business of ambushing citizens with surprise phone calls in which they ask 'questions' for which they already know the answers."
McTiernan previously pleaded guilty to lying to federal agents in 2006 about the investigation of Pellicano. The director later withdrew that plea, arguing he didn't have adequate legal representation.
Pellicano was convicted in 2008 of wiretapping film producer Charles Roven for McTiernan and of bugging the phones of celebrities and others to get information for clients.
Pellicano was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison.
(AP) – 40 minutes ago
LOS ANGELES — "Die Hard" director John McTiernan pleaded guilty Monday to lying to FBI agents and a judge during the investigation of Hollywood private investigator Anthony Pellicano in a wiretapping case.
McTiernan, 59, entered his plea to two counts of making false statements to the FBI and one count of perjury for lying to a federal judge while trying to withdraw a guilty plea. He could face up to a year in prison.
Attorney S. Todd Neal, who represents McTiernan, said the plea will allow his client to appeal certain pretrial rulings made by a federal judge.
"We continue to believe that the charges against him were developed in an unfair way," Neal said. "The FBI should not be in the business of ambushing citizens with surprise phone calls in which they ask 'questions' for which they already know the answers."
McTiernan previously pleaded guilty to lying to federal agents in 2006 about the investigation of Pellicano. The director later withdrew that plea, arguing he didn't have adequate legal representation.
Pellicano was convicted in 2008 of wiretapping film producer Charles Roven for McTiernan and of bugging the phones of celebrities and others to get information for clients.
Pellicano was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison.
07-12-10 | 07:14 PM
#50
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Re: John McTiernan Gets 6 Months in Prison
18 U.S.C. § 1001, Federal felony punishable up to 5 years in prison. They got Martha Stewart on that charge also.