Anthony Pellicano

A bigger than life character whose true story reads like a chapter from a detective novel, Anthony Pellican Jr. was born in 1944 near Chicago. After dropping out of high school, he went into the Army Signal Corps where he obtained his GED (high school diploma). He began working as a "skip tracer" and eventually opened up his own private investigation firm in 1969. By 1974, he declared bankruptcy, added an "O" to his last name (making it closer to the original Sicilan spelling) and by 1985 had moved to Los Angeles. He became a security consultant and private investigator to the stars. He worked for producer Don Simpson and action star Steven Seagal among many, many others. He even contributed a story idea that was used to write an episode of Magnum, P.I. (1980). Life was good for the Windy City native. Charges began surfacing, however, that the tactics he used on the job included illegal wire tapping, making terrorist threats, blackmail and assault. His specialty was getting unflattering material about celebrity clients to disappear. He was often cited as the mastermind behind the intimidation attempts of several reporters who wrote critical articles about actor Seagal. He has been profiled in publications such as Vanity Fair and the Los Angeles Times. After a search of his office safe revealed hand grenades and C-4 explosive material, Pellicano was arrested on Nov. 22, 2002 on federal weapons charges. He eventually received a 30 month federal prison sentence.