Uncensored Justice System Discussion

ForensicGuy · Joined: 12 Dec 2007 Posts: 44

Ex-Employee Of Pellicano's Tells of Threats She Cries While Describing Behavior That Frightened Her

By Robert Iafolla
Daily Journal Staff Writer

LOS ANGELES - A former employee of Anthony Pellicano's broke down in tears Wednesday during cross-examination while testifying about a death threat she said she received after giving federal authorities information on her former boss.

And the questions weren't coming from a defense lawyer but from Pellicano himself. The alleged author of the threat is representing himself at trial.

Tarita Virtue, who has emerged as a key prosecution witness, said she developed a "father-daughter" relationship with Pellicano during her two-year tenure at his detective agency.

Alleged Conspiracy

"Would I threaten to kill my own daughter?" Pellicano asked.

"You already did," Virtue responded, her voice choked with emotion.

Pellicano and four co-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 discredit rivals and manipulate the justice system.

On her third day of testimony, Virtue said she was one of two Pellicano employees allowed to listen to the wiretapped calls. She previously described to the jurors the inner workings of the investigator's operation, including how she wrote reports summarizing thousands of other people's private calls before she quit in 2002.

On Good Terms

Virtue resigned because she was spending more time interviewing prospective employees than doing her job, she said, primarily listening to wiretaps, which she knew was illegal. She said she grew tired of the tense work environment created by the sometimes-explosive Pellicano.

Still, Virtue said, she left on good terms. When she told Pellicano of her plans, the two embraced, cried and said they loved each other, she said.

But that drastically changed after she started cooperating with federal authorities.

"I knew I had shattered your trust in me and you would see it as the worst betrayal a daughter could do," Virtue told Pellicano from the witness stand Wednesday.

Virtue said her fear about what Pellicano would do came from a conversation she had with him after a co-worker quit over concerns about an FBI investigation of the agency. Pellicano asked whether the departing co-worker was someone he should "take care of," she said.

Despite her anxiety, Virtue gave grand jury testimony on Feb. 6, 2003, that led to Pellicano's eventual indictment. She said she tried to take precautions.

"I begged them after I testified, 'Please, please, please tell me if Anthony sees this. If he does, I'm dead. I'm in serious trouble with this man,'" she said as tears streaked down her cheeks.

Pellicano disagreed that Virtue was scared of him, citing loving faxes and e-mails she sent to him. But she explained that was an effort to keep him pacified so that he would not suspect she was cooperating with federal authorities.

Virtue testified she received a call from her father in early 2004, saying Pellicano had threatened her life. She immediately called federal agent Stan Ornellas and federal prosecutor Daniel A. Saunders, and was on a plane to Florida the next night. She said she spent the remainder of the year in hiding.

"Where did you in fact go to in Florida?" Pellicano asked.
"I don't want to tell you," Virtue responded.
"Why don't you want to tell me?" he asked.
"I don't trust you," she responded.

Virtue explained that, although she "loved" the investigator, she no longer trusted him after a December 2000 incident. She said she had asked Pellicano a question after he demanded silence from his staff, so he screamed at her, told her she was fired, then ordered her to sit in her office "like a kid in timeout."

Days later, Virtue said, she returned to the agency and "groveled" to get her job back. From that moment on, despite his promises that he would get her "the best lawyer" if law enforcement ever busted her for the wiretapping scheme, she never fully trusted him again, she said.

In contrast to her display of raw emotion, Pellicano remained calm during his 90-minute cross-examination of Virtue.

The investigator, who has been representing himself since January, was stymied by courtroom procedure during the questioning. U.S. District Judge Dale S. Fischer repeatedly admonished him not to make statements and sustained dozens of prosecution objections for improper questions.

Virtue should return today for further cross-examination from Pellicano and redirect from prosecutors. But Saunders said two of his witnesses, including actor Garry Shandling, have scheduling conflicts and need to testify as soon as possible, so that may delay the remainder of Virtue's testimony

ForensicGuy · Joined: 12 Dec 2007 Posts: 44

This, to me, looks like the government using a witness to lie to further a case against someone.

The death threat came to her through her Dad. When I look at her site, htpp://www.taritavirtue.com, she doesn't appear to be too concerned about a death threat. She is doing photo shoots in Maxim, attending Hollywood parties, and making appearances half naked all over the place. If I was concerned with a death threat, I certainly wouldn't be where lots of people are pointing their cameras at me.

This is another example of government prosecution taking it too far to ensure their conviction.

billpavelic · Joined: 09 Mar 2008 Posts: 14

Forensic Guy,

Ms. Virtue's testimony is plausible, however, her melodramatic and Hollywood like acting, will diminish her credibility.

Best,

Bill

JUSTICE1st · Joined: 13 Dec 2007 Posts: 715 Location: USA