Late-night hosts poke fun at Letterman

LATE-NIGHT hosts didn’t waste a moment poking fun at the troubles of one of their own, after a CBS newsman was charged with trying to blackmail David Letterman for $2 million (€1.37m) in a plot that forced the late-night comic toacknowledge having sex with some of the women who have worked for him.

The bizarre case has created a messy legal and professional problem for one of CBS’s most valuable personalities.

Robert J “Joe” Halderman, a producer for the true-crime show 48 Hours Mystery, pleaded not guilty in a Manhattan court to one count of attempted first-degree grand larceny, punishable by five to 15 years in prison. Prosecutors said Halderman, who was released after posting $200,000 bail, was desperate and deep in debt.