If the David Letterman extortion case goes to trial, the “Late Show” star will find out what a withering interview really feels like.
Alleged extortionist Robert “Joe” Halderman’s pit-bull attorney, Gerald Shargel, is notorious for his blistering cross examinations — and is champing at the bit to grill Letterman.
“I’m looking forward to the opportunity to cross-examine David Letterman,” Shargel told The Post yesterday. “That’s the day that the whole story will be told.”
Famous for earning a surprise acquittal for the late “Dapper Don” John Gotti on an assault charge in the early 1990s, Shargel excels at shredding witnesses.
He once got a plea deal for Carlo Gambino’s sons following their 1992 extortion trial because he destroyed the credibility of a state trooper.
“You’ve got to smell the weakness,” Shargel once said. “Where is this person vulnerable?”
One possible vulnerability in the case against Halderman is that prosecutors who executed search warrants at the “48 Hours Mystery” producer’s office last night came back empty-handed, said people familiar with the case.
Investigators were unable to find any original e-mails, photographs, or documents pertaining to Letterman’s affairs with former personal assistant Stephanie Birkitt, who recently split from Halderman, and was once Letterman’s lover.
If Halderman still has the originals, it could prove to be a useful bargaining chip during possible plea negotiations with prosecutors, sources said.
Investigators previously searched Halderman’s house, and were unable to find the original documents there, either, sources said.