Former CBS President and CEO Les Moonves had to pay $11,250 this month after it was found that he attempted to influence a now-retired LAPD captain to interfere in the sexual assault probe against him.
According to legal documents from the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission that were obtained by a local NBC affiliate, Moonves agreed to pay the fine after it became clear he attempted to interfere with the probe against him.
Moonves resigned from CBS in 2018 after 12 women accused the executive of sexual misconduct in a pair of New Yorker articles published by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ronan Farrow.
The ex-CEO has denied the accusations against him.
Former CBS President Les Moonves was recently ordered to pay a fine for tampering with a LAPD investigation until accusations he committed sexual assault. (Tara Ziemba / Contributor)
A New York Times report at the time of Moonves’ exit also accused the ex-network head of destroying evidence related to the investigation into his misconduct, as well as misleading investigators who were involved.
According to the L.A. City Ethics Commission documents, Moonves induced now-retired LAPD Captain Cory Palka to give him confidential information about a sexual assault probe into him following accusations from his former employee in 2017.
The alleged victim, Phyllis Gottlieb told the press in 2022 that Moonves assaulted her while she was working for him in 1986. Moonves has denied the accusation, though he wouldn’t have been charged for the incident due to it being beyond the statute of limitations.
Still, Moonves was punished for getting leaked information from Palka about the official investigation.
According to legal documents, Moonves sought confidential information about a sexual assault case against him from a now-retired LAPD captain. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Palka, whose jurisdiction included Hollywood, “personally with Moonves on November 25, 2017 at a restaurant in Westlake Village to share what should have been confidential information,” NBC4 reported.
The documents stated that Palka met “personally with Moonves on November 25, 2017 at a restaurant in Westlake Village to share what should have been confidential information.”
The two spoke about confidential information pertaining to the investigation another time, with Moonves texting Palka about the case in December that same year.
Palka exchanged another message with Moonves in 2018 following the executive’s resignation. The documents revealed that the former captain told Moonves, “I’m deeply sorry this happened. I will always stand with, by and pledge my allegiance to you.”
In 2022, the LAPD launched its own investigation into Palka’s interactions with Moonves. At the time, LAPD Chief Michael Moore gave a statement, saying, “What is most appalling is the alleged breach of trust of a victim of sexual assault. This erodes the public trust and is not reflective of our values as an organization.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Paramount and CBS News for comment and is waiting for a reply.
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