Computers Expert Witness Is One & Only Called By Pellicano

Anthony Pellicano, former Hollywood private eye, called his one and only witness, an FBI computer expert witness in his defense against wiretapping and racketeering charges. HollywoodReporter.com also reports:

On the witness stand, Donald Schmidt testified that he was told to look for evidence of audio recordings on Mac computers confiscated by federal agents in a search of Pellicano’s Sunset Boulevard office in November 2002.

“I recall hearing audio files,” Schmidt said. “Did you or anybody determine these files were wiretaps?” Pellicano asked. It’s not my job,” Schmidt responded. “I was told to find audio files.”
Pellicano is accused of being the ringleader of a criminal enterprise that included tapping phone lines and employing others to dig up often confidential information on adversaries of clients who hired the private eye…

Among the co-defendants is retired Los Angeles police Sgt. Mark Arneson, who took the stand in his own defense following Pellicano’s witness. Under questioning by Arneson’s attorney Chad Hummel, the former sergeant admitted he “crossed the line” when he ran records searches for Pellicano on police computers over a seven year span.