Private investigator Anthony Pellicano will surrender this morning at the Federal Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles to begin serving a 33-month prison sentence -- taking his secrets with him.
Government officials accuse Pellicano of conducting illegal wiretaps, and suspect that some of the prominent lawyers and entertainment industry figures who hired him either authorized the surveillance or at least knew about it in advance. They would like Pellicano to cooperate with their investigation, but have had no luck.
In an interview on the eve of his surrender, Pellicano insisted that he had no intention of cooperating. "My clients and the lawyers who hired me are completely innocent," Pellicano said in a telephone interview Sunday night -- his first public comment on the investigation since its scope became known. Pellicano's attorney, Donald Re, took part in the interview.
"They did nothing wrong," Pellicano said, referring to his clients and employers. "The government should leave them alone. And me, I'm going to take this punishment like a man. I will not participate in any way, shape or form with this investigation."
Several witnesses in the case, who spoke to The Times on the condition that they remain anonymous, have complained about the conduct of the investigation. FBI agents attempted to intimidate them and asked leading questions, implying that they had participated in criminal activity without providing evidence, the witnesses said -- allegations that government officials de- nied.
Meanwhile, Pellicano said prosecutors have offered him leniency in exchange for identifying potential co-conspirators in his alleged wiretapping schemes. He said he has refused.
"One of the first rules of being a private investigator is that you must maintain the confidentiality of every client in every investigation," Pellicano said. "Just as the government protects their witnesses, informants and sources, so do I.
"I'm going into jail with the attitude that I'm going to further educate myself. And I hope to come out smarter than when I went in."
2 Men Subjects of Probe
Officials have notified two men that they are subjects of the wiretapping probe: Bert Fields, one of Hollywood's most prominent attorneys who employed Pellicano on a number of cases; and Ray Turner, a former Pacific Bell employee.
