Charge girlfriend spied on private eye

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 26 (UPI) -- Former Hollywood private eye Anthony Pellicano is seeking dismissal of charges against him in a wiretapping case on grounds of government misconduct.

Defense attorneys charge an FBI agent and federal prosecutors repeatedly violated Pellicano's rights by using his girlfriend to secretly gather evidence against him, the Los Angeles Times reported Monday.

In papers filed requesting a hearing on the matter, his attorneys said while Pellicano was in state prison on explosives charges his girlfriend Sandra Carradine visited him at least 27 times. Unknown to Pellicano, they say she also made some 55 calls to the lead FBI agent in his case.

Attorneys Steven Gruel and Michael Artan said Carradine was essentially spying for the government to uncover evidence that could be used against Pellicano and undermine his ability to rebut charges of wiretapping her ex-husband during their divorce.

Prosecutors said the government hadn't decided whether to call Carradine as a witness in Pellicano's case. If they do, they said her testimony would be limited to the wiretapping.