Die Hard director John McTiernan has been sentenced to four months in prison for lying to FBI agents investigating disgraced detective Anthony Pellicano.

The moviemaker has been ordered to begin his sentence by 15 January (08) and pay a $100,000 (#50,000) fine. McTiernan confessed he had lied to an FBI agent when he revealed he only used Pellicano's services once, during his divorce. The director since revealed he hired Pellicano to wiretap a colleague.

Pellicano has pleaded not guilty to charges in a 111-count indictment accusing him of bugging phones and bribing police to get information on celebrities and others. In court on Monday (24Sep07), McTiernan's defence team argued that when the director was interviewed by the FBI last year (06), he was tired after returning from Asia and was taking antibiotics for a sinus infection.

Copyright 2007 WENN