Man charged in Letterman plot was deep in debt - salary was $214,000

[Liberal_in_LA]

DA: Man charged in Letterman plot was deep in debt

His lawyer, Gerald Shargel, said Halderman worked at CBS for 27 years and had no prior criminal record. He described him as an involved father who coached soccer, baseball and football and has two children, ages 11 and 18.

"This story is far more complicated than what you heard this afternoon," Shargel said outside court, but he would not elaborate.

Halderman earned about $214,000 in 2007. He was ordered in 2007 to pay his ex-wife $6,800 per month in child and spousal support until May 2011, when the payments will be reduced to $5,966 until May 2014, according to papers filed in Stamford Superior Court.

He had asked for a reduction to $2,039 per month because his ex-wife, Patty Montet, was sharing a house in New Canaan with a man. But Montet argued — and the judge agreed — that her living arrangement was for convenience and not romantic. Montet also claimed Halderman was getting $1,500 a month from Birkitt.

"Mr. Halderman claims he is struggling financially, but it is difficult to see what, other than mismanagement and extravagant spending, is the reason for this," Montet's attorneys said in the court file. "His is a world of golf trips, vacations, increasing 401k assets, comprehensive benefits, security in employment, earnings as an award-winning producer for CBS, and home ownership."



Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/10/01/entertainment/e183011D63.DTL#ixzz0SpPZEOM0

[Drunken Irishman]

1. I wish I could make $214,000 a year!

[Liberal_in_LA]

2. even with the 80K for alimony and child support, it's a pretty good haul

[Hannah Bell]

20. if that was his gross, not so great. take out 30% for various forms of taxation,

leaves $144K. take out the 80K to the ex = $64K.

[Deja Q]

24. I don't make 1/4th of what he does and they take out 30% as well.

:shrug:

[Hannah Bell]

30. i bet you don't pay $80K in child support, either. just saying, it isn't bill-gates-style wealth.

[dysfunctional press]

39. plus- he's a white-collar worker in NYC...

which isn't a cheap lifestyle to maintain.

[JI7]

49. is there a certain lifestyle that people should conform to depending on their job?

especially if it's white collar or blue collar ?

[Silent3]

55. Is there a certain lifestyle that an ex wife and kids are entitled to?

This particular guy sounds like an asshole, so I'm not defending him in personally, but I still think these kinds of alimony and support demands are ridiculous. Figuring that his taxes and other deductions are 30% or more, he's being expected to pay out more than half of his take home income to a woman who should be able to make a living for herself, who apparently has a place to stay payed by for somebody else, and who should be able to do at least some of the providing for their children herself.

I don't see why one spouse should be legally obligated to pay for child support any more than what average kids all over the country get by living on, as a portion of family income, or why it should even be that much if the other spouse has the ability to provide a portion of the support.

I don't see why one spouse owes another spouse any income support at all, beyond perhaps helping a spouse who wasn't working get established in the working world, or as payback for support in their own career provided by the other spouse. Certainly no spouse should owe another spouse after divorce anything more than a supplement to bring that other spouse up to an average standard of living and to repay debts business and career support over the years of marriage.

[JI7]

31. 64K is not so great ?

[Hannah Bell]

32. compared to you, maybe. compared to actual rich people, not so much.

[JI7]

33. what has that got to do with anything ?

[Hannah Bell]

40. it has to do with someone's comment that $214K = "a good haul".

not when you pay over 2/3 of it in taxes & child support.

above median income, but not "a good haul".

[JI7]

44. fuck him

[Hannah Bell]

50. whatever.

[dysfunctional press]

38. try living a white-collar lifestyle in nyc on 64K and get back to me...

taxis and dry-cleaning alone would eat up a big chunk of it.

[Hannah Bell]

41. median household income nyc = around $48K.

[dysfunctional press]

52. not among white-collar execs in manhattan it isn't.

[JI7]

43. there are many people in nyc who don't have anything near 64K

[dysfunctional press]

51. are they white-collar execs who have to present a certain appearance on the job?

[JI7]

57. what is that ? expensive big ass homes, private jets, expensive cars , private schools

golf clubs, vacations etc ?

[Luminous Animal]

47. Well maybe he should have tried living a blue collar lifestyle...

instead of resorting to blackmail in order to live a white collar lifestyle.

Sheesh.

[dysfunctional press]

53. his position is not a blue-collar one.

"sheesh" is right...some people just don't understand things that they don't live.

[JI7]

56. and ? so he is entitled to certain things just because he works a white collar job ?

[Liberal_in_LA]

34. isn't alimony pre-tax? I think she pays the tax on her 80K

[Luminous Animal]

48. True that,

[spiritual_gunfighter]

46. Not so great to you

But more than sufficient to many Americans, I being one of them.

[jeffbr]

3. Greedy asshole

Give him a fair trial and fire him.

[johnnie]

4. Hmmm

:shrug:

[Drunken Irishman]

5. He did BLOW through a lot of cash...

[Robb]

6. LOL

"At the last meeting, on Wednesday, the lawyer gave Halderman a phony check for $2 million, Morgenthau said."

:rofl:

[Drunken Irishman]

8. Can you even cash a 2 million dollar check?

Honest question. If you took a 2 million dollar check to the bank, WTF would they do?

[Robb]

I don't think you could *cash* it, exactly.

If you deposited it, I expect it would work fine. Mandatory IRS reporting on the bank's part, I suspect. But other than that... :shrug:

[csziggy]

14. The bank would put a hold on it for as long as legally possible

Before they would release any of the funds, especially if the guy was already in financial trouble. Probably put a hold on the IRS cut - maximum rates, of course. Double and triple check with the bank on which the check was drawn to make sure it was valid and legitimate.

I'd bet the check was on a dummy account - no way law enforcement would let a cooperating victim write a check off their own account.

[Drunken Irishman]

15. But even if you deposited it, wouldn't someone wonder why you're doing that?

Seems like this guy didn't think this through.

[jbnow]

23. Spitzer got investigayed for a few thousand and he was rich. How

was this guy planning on explaining a deposit of 2 million? He definitely would have been checked out.

When I blackmail people for millions I always get cash and I don't bank it.

[CTyankee]

12. In Greenwich, yes...no big deal...nt

[Manifestor_of_Light]

18. It would have to be a certified check, not a normal one.

Certified funds only for that amount.

Just my opinion from suffering through Commercial Paper in law school.

[Boojatta]

22. Ask you whether you can accept payment entirely in pennies?

[cbdo2007]

26. This is one of those situations where you're supposed to ask for "large unmarked bills"

[myrna minx]

54. Was it an over sized novelty check? Did the memo line

state "You're already a winner!!"? :rofl:

[tridim]

7. Awwwwwwwwww..

:nopity:

He drives a top of the line Mercedes. Must be fucking rough.

[malaise]

9. I'm betting one of those women dumped him

after a little office dalliance with DL. Either that or he's been gambling away his salary or paying some pole girl for some lap dances. I'm trying hard to rationalize his behavior because it makes no sense.

[stray cat]

10. Society failed him

:sarcasm:

[Auggie]

11. Well, his life just got a lot more complicated. Enjoy jail, butthead.

[romantico]

13. Why

Why has CBS NOT fired him yet?

[Robb]

16. Probably making sure he gets convicted. nt

[snagglepuss]

27. Well his wish will come true that's for sure.

According to an article Halderman told Letterman's lawyer that he didn't want to work all his life. :nopity:

[fortyfeetunder]

59. Actually his life is going to be simpler!

3 hots and a cot with Bubba on the side.

[Auggie]

60. True

[bridgit]

17. Seen that, heard from Montet's dad about some stuff - not good - but I can't believe...

That after working in NYC for 27yrs in the uber-hip position he held; that he fell so completely for so simple a sting...I do see a L&O Criminal Intent episode on the horizon

[snagglepuss]

29. I can't believe that someone in his position would risk all to engage in blatant extortion.

Its utterly mind boggling.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

19. $214,000 and he can't make it on that? What about people that are making it on 1/20th of that?

I feel sorry for neither. One makes good money and can't live well off that, and the other can't seem to keep his fly zipped up.

Both Letterman and this man deserve one another. I don't know which one is better.

[Gold Metal Flake]

21. Republican or Democrat?

[Deja Q]

25. Tabloid news spinner.

27 years; the spinning of news into tabloid pablum started roughly 20 years ago, ala "Hard Copy" and the ilk. I wouldn't be surprised if he contributed, given how profitable such ventures can be.

[The Straight Story]

28. Can I be someone's X and make 7k/month?

:)

[Liberal_in_LA]

35. lol

[merh]

36. the article needs to be revised

he used to have "security in employment".

Now he has lost that and he won't have to worry about the spousal support - those poor kids though.

[flvegan]

37. Poor baby.

[BOG PERSON]

42. Oh, what a shame!

Another hardworking working class American worker getting cruelly exploited by TPTB (the powers that be)!! His ex-wife on the other hand is clearly two-timing rightwing fascist scum.

[Rex]

45. I won't even say how much less I make then that.

Almost a quarter million a year, guess he should have left his secretary alone.

[TheKentuckian]

58. 7k a month even from 214k puts on a squeeze for sure.

I'm not having a pity party for the scoundrel that also still clears a hell of a lot more than I ever have but I'm not going to pretend he's Thurston Howell III either. Only getting a 1/3 of your earnings at that level seems unjust.

All of that having nothing to do with the situation at hand but I think the deal is somewhat draconian. I'm thinking half of that child support can care for a child's needs completely. I'm talking private schools, eating like a king, social activities, more than their fair share of rent/the mortgage, and even building up a very healthy savings. That would be 42k tax free for a dependent person. I'm the 1st to call for fraternal responsibility having to grow up without a father or the money we needed to survive but this guy and other like him are being beat to a pulp.