'Die Hard' Director John McTernan jailed

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'Die Hard' Director John McTernan jailed

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05 October,2010 11:19 am

'Die Hard' director John McTiernan was sentenced to a year in federal prison and fined $100,000 for lying to FBI agents and a federal judge in a wiretapping and racketeering case involving a former sleuth to the stars. McTiernan was indicted in April 2009 in US District Court in downtown Los Angeles on two counts of making false statements to federal agents and one count of perjury. The case dates to 2006, when McTiernan pleaded guilty to a charge of 'knowingly lying' to FBI agents involved in the Anthony Pellicano case. Shortly afterward, the filmmaker asked to back out of his plea, arguing that he had received poor legal advice and was jet-lagged and under the influence of alcohol when federal agents interviewed him. Instead, Fischer sentenced him to four months in federal prison and fined him $100,000.McTiernan remained free on bail while appealing the sentence, and in October 2008, the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals ordered Fischer to hold a hearing on McTiernan's request. Fischer then granted McTiernan's request to plead not guilty and ordered the director's $100,000 fine returned. Along with the 12-month prison term and fine, Fischer ordered McTiernan to serve a three-year term of supervised release. The judge allowed the filmmaker to remain free on bond pending appeal.