LOS ANGELES - The federal government engaged in "outrageous" conduct by using the girlfriend of an indicted Hollywood private eye as a source of information after she visited him in prison, a defense attorney said Monday.
Information provided by Sandra Wil Carradine about Anthony Pellicano violated his attorney-client privilege, lawyer Steven Gruel argued at a hearing in U.S. District Court.
Gruel also challenged search warrants served at Pellicano's office four years ago, contending the raids were a ruse to get inside and look for suspected wrongdoing.
"It's outrageous prosecutorial conduct," Gruel told U.S. District Judge Dale Fischer.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Saunders scoffed at the contention that prosecutors acted improperly.
"There has been no privileged information that has been provided to the government" by Carradine, Saunders said.
Fischer made no rulings after hearing the arguments.
Pellicano, 62, has pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial in October on charges of wiretapping such stars as Sylvester Stallone and Keith Carradine and paying police officers tens of thousands of dollars to run names, including comedians Garry Shandling and Kevin Nealon, through a government database.
Fourteen people have been charged in the case. Six have pleaded guilty to a variety of charges, including wire fraud and conspiracy.
Saunders said more charges would be filed but couldn't give a firm date because of ongoing discussions.
Sandra Wil Carradine pleaded guilty to two counts of perjury and is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 25.
The ex-wife of actor Keith Carradine met with Pellicano in prison while he completed a 2 1/2-year sentence for possession of explosives. Pellicano was indicted in February in the wiretapping case.