The Pellicano Trial: Bert Fields Probably Won't Testify

Posted by Leslie Simmons

Bert Fields didn't take the stand yesterday as a witness in the government’s wiretapping and racketeering case against Anthony Pellicano and four others. Now we learn he probably won't be testifying at all.

Co-defendant Mark Arneson, a former LAPD sergeant, planned to call Fields, and the veteran entertainment attorney even showed up to court twice this week to take the stand. But he was never called, and today a spokesman for Fields said Arneson’s attorney decided not to call him after all. No explanation was given.

Fields could conceivably be called by one of the three remaining co-defendants who have yet to present their case, but the software engineer, the former phone company employee, and the Pellicano client who wasn't repped by Fields likely won't bother.

Retired FBI special agent Stanley Ornellas will resume his testimony tomorrow. Ornellas was the lead investigator in the case. The government claims Pellicano, Arneson and three others ran a criminal racket that included illegally wiretapping and running records searches on police computers for adversaries of clients.