Director John McTiernan was charged Monday with lying to the FBI, becoming the first entertainment industry figure accused in the unfolding federal investigation of wiretapping and other alleged wrongdoing by Hollywood private eye Anthony Pellicano.
In a two-page charging document, federal prosecutors alleged that McTiernan, 55, whose directing credits include "Predator" and "Die Hard," lied about having hired Pellicano to wiretap veteran film producer Charles Roven.
McTiernan denied any knowledge of wiretapping by Pellicano in a Feb. 13 interview with FBI agents, prosecutors alleged, even though he hired and paid the infamous private eye to wiretap Roven.
The charging document does not indicate when Roven was allegedly wiretapped, why it happened or how much Pellicano was paid. McTiernan and Roven were producers of the 2002 movie flop "Rollerball," which McTiernan directed.
McTiernan is the 14th individual charged in the burgeoning investigation of Pellicano, who is accused of directing a racketeering enterprise that unlawfully wiretapped and conducted illegal background checks on dozens of celebrities and executives, including actor Sylvester Stallone, comedians Garry Shandling and Kevin Nealon and real estate developer Robert Maguire.
McTiernan is scheduled for an arraignment April 17 on a charge that carries a maximum five-year penalty.
With the investigation roiling legal and entertainment circles, the charge against McTiernan seemed to come from nowhere and indicates that the inquiry is rapidly developing new investigative avenues as prosecutors continue sorting through mounds of documents and hours of tape recordings seized from Pellicano's office.
McTiernan's name was not among a shortlist of Hollywood lawyers and entertainment figures thought to be among those facing possible indictment.
That Roven was not among a list of 81 individuals named as Pellicano's victims in the latest 110-count indictment also shows that the breadth of Pellicano's alleged activities has not been fully revealed.
McTiernan was born in Albany, N.Y., and attended the Juilliard School before moving to Los Angeles, where he studied at the American Film Institute.
He built his reputation as a bold stylist in action films, directing a string of successes beginning with "Predator," a 1987 feature starring Arnold Schwarzenegger as the leader of a commando squad hunted by an extraterrestrial warrior.
