Legal Commentary

FBI Agent Charged Re: Pellicano Wiretapping Case

By Jeralyn

FBI Agent Mark T. Rossini of New York has been charged in Los Angeles with illegally accessing FBI computers in 2007 to help the once-famous, former private investigator, Anthony Pellicano, who was facing illegal wiretapping and racketeering charges. Pellicano was convicted and is in prison.

In May, Pellicano was convicted by a federal jury in Los Angeles of conspiring to run a criminal enterprise that employed illegal wiretaps to dig up dirt on the rich and famous on behalf of his elite Hollywood clients. Pellicano is awaiting sentencing for convictions on those 76 counts, as well as for convictions in August in a separate trial for wiretapping and conspiracy to commit wiretapping.

It looks like Rossini has already made a deal: the charges were filed by information and consist of five misdemeanors of illegal access to computers. [More...]

Rossini's girlfriend is actress Linda Fiortino, who is close to Pellicano. Here are more details on Rossini, who is expected to plead guilty Monday.

Say hello to the new site, Tickle the Wire, by veteran journalists. It culls the papers and wires for the latest federal law enforcement news. It broke the story on Rossini. From its about page:

The targeted audience is the more 300,000 people in federal law enforcement as well as the media, academics and the general public.

Hope they don't mind defense lawyers reading along.

Full post as published by TalkLeft on December 04, 2008 (boomark / email).