A spokesman for Chris Rock said the comedian hired celebrity private eye Anthony Pellicano to investigate a model who claimed he was the father of her unborn child, according to a published report.
Rock’s representative, Matt Labov, confirmed that the comedian’s representatives hired Pellicano after Hungarian model Monika Zsibrita made the allegation in 1999, the Los Angeles Times reported on Tuesday.
Zsibrita, 33, was named in a February indictment as a victim of an alleged wiretapping and racketeering conspiracy on behalf of A-list Hollywood attorneys and other prominent clients. An indictment accuses Pellicano of using his connections with a police detective to illegally run a background check on Zsibrita on July 30, 1999.
Pellicano has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Rock was separated from his wife when he met Zsibrita. The outcome of the paternity case was unclear because it was sealed by a private judge. Labov said that no one associated with Rock had any idea the private investigator would illegally access police files, as federal authorities have alleged.
Authorities claim Pellicano tapped the phone of actor Sylvester Stallone and had police run the names of comedians Garry Shandling and Kevin Nealon through a government database.
Earlier this month, John McTiernan, director of such hit movies as “Die Hard” and “The Thomas Crown Affair,” pleaded guilty to making false statements to an FBI agent about hiring Pellicano to wiretap a business associate.