Pellicano sued by Chicago couple

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 4 (UPI) -- A Chicago couple in prison for bilking the government are suing private investigator Anthony Pellicano for helping prosecutors build a case against them.

James and Janice Skrzypek have filed suit in Los Angeles County Superior Court charging Pellicano with manufacturing incriminating tapes that provided the basis for their conviction, the Los Angeles Times reported Monday.

Skrzypek, a former police officer, and his wife were convicted in 2002 of billing the government for security work at Chicago's Robert Taylor Homes that was never performed.

In the suit against Pellicano, the couple charge he and others, including unnamed federal agents, falsified audio recordings to make it appear the Skrzypeks knew that attempts were being made to bribe Chicago Housing Authority officials to overlook their firm's billing irregularities.

The suit charges three audio-taped conversations that formed the basis of the government's case against them were manufactured and the exchanges never took place.

A spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office in Chicago declined to comment on the suit.