Defense in racketeering case doubt warrant

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- Defense attorneys in the racketeering and wiretapping trial of former Hollywood investigator Anthony Pellicano said a search warrant for his office was faulty.

A federal judge in the case was set to hear arguments challenging the search warrant against Pellicano, on trial with five others in Los Angeles.

The defense alleges that ex-FBI agent Stanley Ornellas included in the affidavit seeking the warrant false information and omitted evidence that should have been shown to a judge, the Los Angeles Times reported.

U.S. District Judge Dale S. Fischer last month ruled that Ornellas would have to answer separate allegations that he used Pellicano's ex-girlfriend to spy on him while in prison without telling Pellicano's lawyer.

"In our motion we have made straight-forward allegations that agent Ornellas misled the magistrate, yet the government has not provided one word from Ornellas himself denying these allegations," Pellicano's attorney, Michael Artan, said. "That absence of denial speaks volumes."

The prosecution, meanwhile, said the defense relied on minor discrepancies and personal attacks.