P.I. Says 'I'm No Rat'

I think the most interesting story in Hollywood has been pretty much been under the radar in the entertainment biz. Anthony Pellicano -- known as the private investigator to the stars -- sits in the pokey as the Feds make a full court press to prove that Pellicano and some Hollywood power players illegally recorded conversations, sometimes to protect celebrities and sometimes to destroy them.

Pellicano has broken his silence to the L.A. Times. In an article today, the P.I. who has repped Michael Jackson, Liz Taylor and many others says he will never rat out his clients: "I am going to be a man until I fall -- if, in fact, that happens."

I have known Pellicano over the years and his interview is completely in character. This guy, through various lawyers, has told the feds over the last few years to go f--- themselves -- literally. Prosecutors have tried to cut a deal with Pellicano in order to prosecute more famous and powerful people but he has never entertained it -- not for a minute.

The fact is, prosecutors are obsessed with this case. They have already indicted some pretty big power players but they are names you probably have never heard. I have a source connected with the investigation who tells me there's no doubt -- the brass ring for the Feds right now is Paramount Pictures Chairman Brad Grey. I'm told the Feds are trying to cut deals with some people under investigation if they will roll over on Grey and I believe in one case a deal has already been struck.

As for whether the Feds have the goods on Grey, I don't believe they do, at least not yet. As of a month ago, I'm told investigators had only gone through 1/4 of conversations that Pellicano surreptitiously recorded.

Pellicano is secretly famous for secretly recording phone conversations of his clients' enemies. I once got hold of a tape in the first Michael Jackson case back in 1993. The stepfather of the boy who accused Jackson of molestation was talking settlement. I took the tape to Pellicano, who repped M.J. through his lawyer Bert Fields (also under investigation), and called his bluff. Rather than denying he was the culprit, Pellicano proudly took me into a room that looked like a mini-C.I.A. -- more recording devices than you would find at most radio stations.