Uncensored Justice System Discussion

ForensicGuy · Joined: 12 Dec 2007 Posts: 44

Detective Fingers Retired Officer

By Robert Iafolla
Daily Journal Staff Writer

LOS ANGELES - A detective formerly with internal affairs connected one of Anthony Pellicano's co-defendants, a retired police officer, to the illegal acquisition of sensitive information about people being investigated by the notorious sleuth.

Someone using Mark Arneson's unique serial number and pass code ran names common to Pellicano's cases through a Los Angeles Police Department computer linked to local, state and national law enforcement databases, according to an audit authenticated by Helen Lim of the LAPD.

Lim, one of two prosecution witnesses to testify Friday as the trial ended its second week, said the names on the audit were not connected with Arneson's police cases.

The LAPD opened an investigation on Arneson, a 29-year veteran of the police force, after the FBI notified the department of his relationship with Pellicano in December 2002, Lim said. Arneson submitted his retirement letter on Oct. 8, 2003, the day internal affairs investigators were supposed to interview him.

Pellicano, Arneson and three other defendants face federal crimes related to an alleged conspiracy to sell confidential information obtained from restricted databases and wiretapped phone calls. Prosecutors allege his clients sought the information to manipulate the justice system and discredit rivals.

Prosecutors claim Pellicano paid Arneson at least $180,000 for information in conjunction with a number of the gumshoe's cases. In some instances, this meant using information from law enforcement to help the criminal defense of Pellicano's clients, prosecutors allege.

But Arneson's lawyer, Chad S. Hummel, has said Pellicano never gave his client cash to run names in restricted databases. Instead, Hummel said his client viewed the private eye as a "gold mine of law enforcement information," so he agreed to trade the confidential data in exchange for tips used to bust criminals.

Hummel's cross-examination of Lim provided a window into his defense theory. He said he has subpoenaed Lim and plans to call her back when he presents Arneson's defense.

Responding to Hummel's questions relating to her investigation of Arneson, Lim confirmed he worked on LAPD's vice squad - which covers crimes like prostitution, gambling and fraud - and arrested people using tips from sources.

Hummel asked questions emphasizing the limitations to what the audit reveals about the runs. In addition, he appeared to play down the value of information that comes from the databases.

He also highlighted unusual elements of the audit. For example, there was a series of runs in February 2001 in which Arneson appeared not to have signed onto the computer system.

"How does it happen that there's no sign-in?" Hummel asked.

"I don't know," Lim responded.

Hummel suggested 15 other police officers, in addition to Arneson, ran the name of former Los Angeles Times reporter Anita Busch between 2001 and 2002, although Lim would only concede that "numerous" other officers had.

But Lim later testified all of the other inquiries of Busch had to do with one type of database related to victims of crimes. Busch was threatened in 2002 about a story she was writing. Also, none of the other runs of Busch's name were coupled with runs of her sometime writing partner, Bernard Weintraub.

Prosecutors plan to call FBI computer experts and the prosecutor from the John Gordon Jones rape trial Tuesday.