Die Hard director in jail

JOHN McTiernan, the Hollywood director behind such blockbuster action films as Die Hard and Predator, was sentenced to four months in prison today for lying to federal agents.

McTiernan was one of seven defendants who pleaded guilty in connection with the conspiracy and racketeering case of disgraced celebrity detective Anthony Pellicano, who was charged with using illegal wiretaps and illicit database searches to eavesdrop on dozens of Hollywood celebrities and movie executives.

McTiernan, 56, pleaded guilty in April, 2006, to making knowingly false statements to FBI agents investigating Pellicano when he denied having asked Pellicano to wiretap producer Charles Roven, with whom the director worked on the 2002 film Rollerball.

US District Judge Dale Fischer denied a motion by McTiernan to withdraw his guilty plea. In addition to his four-month prison sentence, McTiernan also received two years of supervised release and a $US100,000 fine.

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