James O'Keefe, Others Plead Guilty In Landrieu Stunt, Get Probation

Conservative filmmaker James O'Keefe and three others pleaded guilty Wednesday to misdemeanor charges in connection with an attempt to to tamper with phone lines in Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu's New Orleans office.

O'Keefe was sentenced to three years probation, 100 hours of community service and a $1,500 fine, The Associated Press reported. The other three got two years probation, 75 hours of community service and $1,500 fines.

O'Keefe, Stan Dai, Joseph Basel and Robert Flanagan were arrested in January on felony charges, later reduced to entering federal property under false pretenses, a misdemeanor.


The FBI said O'Keefe, 25, used his cell phone to try to capture video of two others who dressed as telephone repairmen and tried to gain access to Landrieu's office.

After his arrest, O'Keefe said the purpose of the plan was to investigate why Landrieu's constituents were reportedly having a hard time getting through on her office phones to complain about her support of health care reform.

O'Keefe told the judge he regretted his actions and apologized for raising security concerns at the federal building, according to the AP.

Afterward, he told reporters he would continue his undercover work.

"What I do is I stand up to power," O'Keefe said. "I expose corruption in the back rooms."

O'Keefe came to nationwide attention last year for a series of filmed sting operations at ACORN offices across the country. He dressed as a pimp, and with the help of a female friend, recorded ACORN employees offering tax advice for those interested in starting prostitution rings.