David Letterman Extortionist Returns to Producing

In 2009 former CBS News producer Joe Halderman tried to blackmail David Letterman over an inner-office affair, but failed as Letterman shared the news with the world. He was soon fired from the network after the incident. The producer now has a new job working on the newsmagazine “On the Case With Paula Zahn.”

Halderman serves as a freelance producer for the show, but will not work in the field with Zahn. “On behalf of On the Case’s production team, we have been impressed with Joe Halderman’s professional accomplishments as an Emmy Award-winning producer for 48 Hours and CBS News,” said Scott Weinberger, executive producer of On the Case via statement. "With the network’s prior approval, the team has brought Halderman on as a producer for On the Case. We are confident that Halderman will make significant contributions to the success of our award-winning investigative newsmagazine.”

Investigative Discovery is confident in his work because his resume is impressive. Including CBS’ “48 Hours Mystery” prior to blackmailing Letterman for $2 million. This is the perfect background for production on the newsmagainze that follows Zahn around the United States, interviewing different people related to various topics on the show.

Critics may feel that it’s a bad choice hiring a man with a history of extortion, but Halderman spent four months in federal prison for his poor judgment. Do you think he deserves a second chance?

“On the Case” airs Sunday at 10 p.m. on Investigative Discovery.