Robert Halderman, a former producer for CBS’s 48 Hours, made headlines this year after blackmailing the host of CBS’s Late Show, David Letterman, by threatening to expose information about past affairs Letterman had with female staff members.
Instead of meeting Halderman’s demands, Letterman chose to publicly confess past indiscretions and cooperated with law enforcement in a sting operation to secure Halderman’s arrest. Halderman was charged with grand larceny for attempting to extort $2 million from Letterman and pled guilty to the charges. He is now serving a six-month sentence.
Instead of taking his concerns over Letterman’s behavior to human resources and executives at CBS, Halderman created a public relations nightmare for CBS executives when he chose to take matters into his own hands and blackmail Letterman for personal financial gain. Executives not only had to publicly handle concerns of sexual harassment issues between Letterman and his female co-workers along with public perception damage, but they also had to deal with Halderman’s illegal actions.
As the saying goes “two wrongs don’t make a right.” Halderman’s foolish actions had enormous consequences on his reputation, his life, and the lives of others. And, it didn’t help solve a potentially serious HR issue. Employees who participate in illegal activities can cause major problems in your workplace. Make sure your employees understand the appropriate channels for reporting issues and concerns at your company, as well as the professional and ethical behavior you expect from them.
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