# Do blackmailers ever get the cash & shut up forever or do they always come back to the trough? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 29, 2015, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-blackmailers-ever-get-the-cash-shut-up-forever-or-do-they-always-come-back-to-the-trough/721166 "2015-05-29T23:48:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2015, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-blackmailers-ever-get-the-cash-shut-up-forever-or-do-they-always-come-back-to-the-trough/721166/21 "2015-05-30T22:56:09Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > No, the timeline appears to be off for this to be a case of the boyfriend being pissed his girlfriend was cheating on him. The affair had apparently occurred some years prior to the blackmail. What apparently prompted the blackmail attempt was that Letterman had married Regina Lasko in March 2009 and Joe Halderman and Stephanie Birkitt broke up in September. Halderman then made his blackmail threat in October. > > So it appears that Halderman may have decided that Letterman was now more vulnerable to blackmail and that he no longer had any reason to protect Birkitt’s reputation. > > Admittedly, an alternative scenario is that Halderman had been unaware of the affair until September and it was his discover of it that led to the breakup and subsequent blackmail attempt. The weird thing about the Letterman blackmail to me was that IIRC the blackmailer was a fairly well regarded NBC producer making well into six figures annually. The risk/reward calculation if his blackmail attempt was rebuffed and the authorities were called was not on his side. ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2015, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-blackmailers-ever-get-the-cash-shut-up-forever-or-do-they-always-come-back-to-the-trough/721166/22 "2015-06-01T14:19:16Z")
> [@astro](#): > > The weird thing about the Letterman blackmail to me was that IIRC the blackmailer was a fairly well regarded NBC producer making well into six figures annually. I recall reading at the time that he was under pressure due to high child support (& possibly alimony) payments. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2015, 10:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-blackmailers-ever-get-the-cash-shut-up-forever-or-do-they-always-come-back-to-the-trough/721166/23 "2015-06-02T10:16:51Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > I don’t think so. If he’d known the payment would be a one time thing and it would have kept the fact he was having sex with one of his interns from the public and from his live-in (or as you say, common-law wife), I think the odds are pretty good he’d have coughed up the dough. It’s not like Letterman is a man of high integrity - remember he was cheating in his own relationship and also hers. Well, besides me believing that, his extra-marital affair aside, Dave _ **is** _ a man of high integrity, I also don’t think he’d have paid anything for legal reasons. IANAL but even though you’re essentially the victim, if you pay extortion money rather than report it to the police aren’t you committing a crime? Engaging in some kind of conspiracy? ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2015, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-blackmailers-ever-get-the-cash-shut-up-forever-or-do-they-always-come-back-to-the-trough/721166/24 "2015-06-03T23:07:15Z")
> [@Flyer](#): > > It’s been said before in various forms–there are only two SURE ways of dealing with blackmail. (1) Reveal the secret yourself in a time and manner of your own choosing. (2) Kill the blackmailer. “Kill” is such an unpleasant word, tho… perhaps “neutralize”? “Educate”? “Unfriend”? ---
**Author:** ![JRUSA1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/439d5e/32.png) [@JRUSA1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRUSA1)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2015, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-blackmailers-ever-get-the-cash-shut-up-forever-or-do-they-always-come-back-to-the-trough/721166/25 "2015-07-30T01:04:43Z")
All of Dave affairs with staffers took place while he been with Regina, They had been in a Serious Long term committed relationship since 1986 and had been living with her for many many years when they had harry in 2003. In common Law they were married but without the papers. he was not married when his relationship with Stephanie Birkitt started but he was far from being single. He did continue to cheat on Regina in the early months of their Marriage with Stephanie. It was after Joe caught Dave and Stephanie making out in Dave car in Joe driveway in August (5 Months after he married Regina) 2009 that Joe broke up with Stephanie and tired to blackmail Dave. Joe had known about the affair for a few years but that sent him over the edge. Dave also cheated on his first wife Michelle Cook and cheated on Merrill with Regina. So he has a history of cheating on women (He finally went to therapy to change that) but it still doesn’t take away from the great work he done. ---
**Author:** ![JRUSA1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/439d5e/32.png) [@JRUSA1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRUSA1)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2015, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-blackmailers-ever-get-the-cash-shut-up-forever-or-do-they-always-come-back-to-the-trough/721166/26 "2015-07-30T01:05:44Z")
> [@astro](#): > > The weird thing about the Letterman blackmail to me was that IIRC the blackmailer was a fairly well regarded NBC producer making well into six figures annually. The risk/reward calculation if his blackmail attempt was rebuffed and the authorities were called was not on his side. The guy work at CBS. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2015, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-blackmailers-ever-get-the-cash-shut-up-forever-or-do-they-always-come-back-to-the-trough/721166/27 "2015-07-30T01:15:32Z")
> [@JRUSA1](#): > > All of Dave affairs with staffers took place while he been with Regina, They had been in a Serious Long term committed relationship since 1986 and had been living with her for many many years when they had harry in 2003. In common Law they were married but without the papers. Survey says … \ New York does not have common law marriage. And even if it did, you need to do more than be in a LTR, living together, and having sex & children. ---
**Author:** ![JRUSA1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/439d5e/32.png) [@JRUSA1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRUSA1)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2015, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-blackmailers-ever-get-the-cash-shut-up-forever-or-do-they-always-come-back-to-the-trough/721166/28 "2015-07-30T01:18:27Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Survey says … \ > New York does not have common law marriage. > And even if it did, you need to do more than be in a LTR, living together, and having sex & children. Didn’t say they were in a common Law Marriage but was like one. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2015, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-blackmailers-ever-get-the-cash-shut-up-forever-or-do-they-always-come-back-to-the-trough/721166/29 "2015-07-30T01:46:58Z")
> [@JRUSA1](#): > > Didn’t say they were in a common Law Marriage but was like one. No you didn’t. > [@](#): > > In common Law they were married but without the papers. A common law marriage is a legal situation very different than LTR or even domestic partner. For example, in my state if you have a common law marriage you must file your taxes as a married couple because legally you are married. I expect that a live-in relationship would get into a lot of trouble if they did that because “it is like a common law marriage”. And in my state a common law marriage does not have papers i.e. a marriage license so adding “without the papers” is redundant. In regards to David Letterman this would be huge. The most a girlfriend can do is move out and sue for child support if they have a kid. If they were married, common-law or otherwise, Dave would be looking at giving up assets, alimony, divorce lawyer fees, etc. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2015, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-blackmailers-ever-get-the-cash-shut-up-forever-or-do-they-always-come-back-to-the-trough/721166/30 "2015-07-30T04:23:54Z")
A blackmailer needs the cooperation of the target to succeed. The target can always simply tell him to fuck off. ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2015, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-blackmailers-ever-get-the-cash-shut-up-forever-or-do-they-always-come-back-to-the-trough/721166/31 "2015-07-31T04:05:54Z")
Or, in the only case I have experience with, commit suicide. But the suicide was primarily attributed to the fact over which the blackmail was being extorted, rather than the blackmail itself. Lesson: when removing a dead body, be careful who you ask to help. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-blackmailers-ever-get-the-cash-shut-up-forever-or-do-they-always-come-back-to-the-trough/721166.md?page=1)