Imprisoned in Seagal case, producer seeks leniency

Film producer Julius Nasso, who is scheduled to begin serving a one-year prison sentence next month for his role in a mob plot to extort money from actor Steven Seagal, asked a federal judge Tuesday to reduce his penalty based on the “substantial assistance” he provided authorities in another high-profile case -- the L.A.-based investigation into private detective Anthony Pellicano.

Pellicano, 59, came under federal criminal investigation in the summer of 2002 after an FBI informant secretly recorded conversations with a man who claimed he had been hired by Pellicano to intimidate a Los Angeles Times reporter researching a story about Seagal’s possible dealings with the mob. A search of Pellicano’s office uncovered plastic explosives and two hand grenades; the private investigator later pleaded guilty to possessing illegal explosives. He is serving a 30-month sentence in federal prison.

The court papers filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn by Nasso’s lawyer, Robert Hantman, state that investigators for the producer told the FBI that a relative of Seagal’s resembled the description of a man who may have threatened a Vanity Fair magazine reporter, Ned Zeman, with a gun. Nasso’s information was then used by the FBI in seeking its warrant to search Pellicano’s office, the motion adds.

The tip apparently was of limited help to authorities, however, because the Vanity Fair writer was unable to identify a photo of Seagal’s relative, the documents concede.

Seagal testified last year that he had no role in the threats against reporters but was threatened himself by Nasso and figures associated with mob boss Peter Gotti who were angry that he stopped making films with Nasso. Nasso eventually agreed to a plea bargain.