Tossing a legal hand grenade into an already-contentious case, celebrity sleuth Anthony Pellicano on Friday demanded and won the right to act as his own lawyer in his upcoming trial on wiretapping and racketeering charges.
U.S. District Judge Dale S. Fischer tried to talk Pellicano out of his plan, but he would not relent.
"I urge you to let me appoint counsel for you," Fischer implored in federal court in downtown Los Angeles.
"You're very kind, your honor, but no, thank you," Pellicano said.
The ruling added another unexpected turn to a case that has rocked Los Angeles' legal and entertainment communities. Pellicano was once one of the city's most successful private detectives and for years had worked on behalf of marquee names in Hollywood and legal circles, gathering secrets to help sway court and business affairs in his clients' favor.
The specter of an untrained self-advocate in a complex, high-profile case raised sharp concerns among some court observers. One cited the trial of Lynette Alice "Squeaky" Fromme, who insisted on exercising her constitutional right to defend herself on charges of trying to shoot President Ford in 1975, only to turn the courtroom into a circus.
"It's a very foolish thing to do," said Peter Keane, former dean of Golden Gate University School of Law in San Francisco. "Usually you're consigning yourself to failure. It creates nightmares for judges. Judges and prosecutors hate it."
Most lawyers for Pellicano's six co-defendants declined to comment on the record. But while some saw catastrophe, others cited the defendant's stellar career as a private detective in suggesting he might be effective.
"It affects the whole case," one lawyer said. "You have to address his silly motions. If the government is taking up time answering frivolous motions, it's time they are not spending providing your discovery."
"I don't know what happens with Anthony when he gets up to do his opening statement," another lawyer said. "Does he waive his 5th Amendment privilege [against self-incrimination]? I don't know which way it cuts, in terms of benefit to the prosecution or the defense."
Pellicano, one of seven defendants in the complicated federal case, had been represented by San Francisco attorney Steven F. Gruel without charge. Pellicano wrote to Fischer that he released Gruel because he believed it was unfair for him to continue working gratis.
