A conservative video maker who last year attempted to defame community organization ACORN was arrested Tuesday for showing up in the New Orleans office of Sen. Mary Landrieu and trying to tamper with her phones.
James O’Keefe, Stan Dai, Joseph Basel and Robert Flanagan all face felony charges of entering a federal property under false pretenses, according to an FBI statement.
Dai and Flanagan — the son of the acting U.S. attorney for the Western District of Louisiana — were accused of dressing in telephone company attire and attempting to access Landrieu’s phone equipment, as O’Keefe tried to film their efforts.
O’Keefe was the documentary filmmaker who — playing a pimp to a fellow conservative’s prostitute — went from office to office of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now and asked for financial help to buy housing for a brothel.
The furor over how some ACORN housing officials responded, as detailed in web videos, led Congress to bar federal money for ACORN.
O’Keefe previously tried to expose Planned Parenthood twice in two sting operations that also included video or audio tapes.
According to the FBI, and an affidavit filed in the case, Dai and Flanagan entered Landrieu office and then tried to access her main phone and, eventually, the building’s phone room. They were referred to the General Services Administration office, which runs the building and were arrested after questions were raised about their credentials.
Each of the four face a maximum term of 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, and three years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment.
