Learning Chinese - Seagal says FBI probe ruined career

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ENTERTAINMENT / Movies






Seagal says FBI probe ruined career


(Reuters)
Updated: 2007-08-18 08:49




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?Steven Seagal rides a float as the grand marshal of the Krewe of Orpheus
in a
Mardi Gras parade on St. Charles Avenue in New Orleans February 27,
2006.[Reuters]

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Steven Seagal, whose action movies once were major box-office
attractions, believes false allegations by FBI agents ruined his career,
the Los Angeles Times reported on Friday.

The comments in the Times are the first Seagal has made publicly about an
investigation begun some five years ago by the FBI into accusations he
intimidated a reporter and had ties to organized crime.

The Times said Seagal is demanding an apology from the FBI. A spokesman
for the actor was not immediately available on Friday.

"False FBI accusations fueled thousands of articles saying that I
terrorize journalists and associate with the Mafia," Seagal told the
newspaper. "These kinds of inflammatory allegations scare studio heads
and independent producers -- and kill careers."

Seagal, 56, was once a major star of action movies such as 1992's "Under
Siege," which earned $156 million at worldwide box offices, but now he
makes straight-to-DVD releases such as "Flight of Fury and "Attack Force."

The FBI investigation stemmed from Seagal's ties to former private
detective Anthony Pellicano, who once was employed by many Hollywood
stars, directors and producers, but is now in federal prison awaiting
trial on wire-tapping and other charges.

The Pellicano investigation dates to 2002 when a free-lance reporter for
the Los Angeles Times found a dead fish, a red rose and a note saying
"Stop!" on her car. At the time, the reporter was researching Seagal and
a former business partner.

Seagal told the Times that he and Pellicano had not been on speaking
terms since the 1990s and the Times' story said his lawyers told FBI
agents that by 2002, Seagal and Pellicano had become rivals in a bitter
legal dispute.

The actor said in October 2004, an FBI official told him that federal
agents knew he had nothing to do with the Pellicano investigation. Still,
Seagal claims they have not publicly exonerated him.

An FBI spokeswoman declined to comment "because of the ongoing nature of
the investigation" and referred calls to the U.S. Attorney's Office in
Los Angeles.

A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney noted Seagal has never been charged or
accused of being involved in the incident that eventually led to
Pellicano's arrest. The spokesman added that the office does not comment
on talks it has with attorneys representing defendants, investigation
targets or witnesses.

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