LOS ANGELES (LALATE) – The purported Rielle Hunter John Edwards tape was mentioned during unusual trial testimony today. The Rielle Hunter John Edwards scandal tape has been a subject of legal disputes over ownership in recent years. But today, Edwards’ legal team cross examined the man who allegedly claimed to have the tape.

Two years ago, Hunter had sued Andrew Young over the tape. Then in fall 2010, Superior Court Judge Abraham Penn Jones told Andrew Young to hand him over the tape. But today, a courtroom got to hear about the tape, once again.

“In or about December 2006, the decision was made that the video should be destroyed,” Hunter had written in a court affidavit two years ago. “Therefore, I opened up the plastic casing of the miniDV cassette and pulled out the tape contained therein.”

During Friday proceedings, the reference to the tape was certainly allowed. Edwards called it a “private video”. Defense attorney Abbe Lowell tried to bring it up. But once Lowell tried, prosecutor David Harbach became uneasy, asking for a break with Judge Catherine Eagles. After that break, Lowell began difference questions.

• Comments (0)

LOS ANGELES (LALATE) – Rielle Hunter photos, scandal tape, and National Enquirer details of the John Edwards mistress affair will dominate the Edwards criminal trial beginning today. But trial watchers will also hear names like Rachel “Bunny” Mellon, Fred Baron, and Andrew Young in a case that is more about campaign contributions than about affairs.

In 2008, Rielle Hunter’s details were surfacing progressively in the National Enquirer. At the time, John Edwards was pursuing the Democratic presidential nomination. While picked up here on LALATE and elsewhere, many of the early details of the National Enquirer’s allegations about Hunter were not reported across news. At the time, the Enquirer’s allegations about Edwards were shocking, claims that a presidential candidate was having an affair during his marriage, had gotten his mistress pregnant, was flying her around the U.S. during the campaign, denying paternity publicly, and claiming his staffer was the baby’s daddy.

Also with the funds, Hunter’s company was allegedly paid more than a quarter million dollars. Then Rachel “Bunny” Mellon and Fred Baron allegedly paid Hunter and staffer Andrew Young upwards of $1 million. Young claims he was paid $30,000 to play the role of Hunter’s baby daddy until both Hunter and Edwards came clean about paternity.

• Comments (0)

ST LOUIS (LALATE) – The alleged John Edwards Rielle Hunter tape that was set to head to a civil trial has been delayed. Andrew Young claims the tape features John Edwards and Rielle Hunter; Hunter denies it is her. In his book “The Politician”, Young claimed he found the tape before the January 2008 Iowa caucus. The participants on the tape have yet to be verified. But Hunter is suing to get the tape back.

National news in fall 2010 reported that Young refused to hand over the tape when questioned by the local Sherriff’s office. The New York Daily News in fact claimed that Young allegedly had possession of, not just a single tape, but “tapes and photos”. Young has claimed the Hunter appears in the tape pregnant allegedly identified by a thumb ring.

In fall 2010, Superior Court Judge Abraham Penn Jones told Andrew Young to hand him over the tape. Hunter has sued Young over the tape.

The disputed timeline suggests the tape may not be of Hunter. As previously detailed here, the tape was allegedly recorded in 2006 and showed a pregnant woman. But Hunter was pregnant in 2007 and gave birth to Edwards’ daughter, Frances Quinn, on Feb. 27, 2008.

“In or about December 2006, the decision was made that the video should be destroyed,” Hunter has written in a court affidavit. “Therefore, I opened up the plastic casing of the miniDV cassette and pulled out the tape contained therein.”

Rielle Hunter Pictures
Rielle Hunter Photo 1
Rielle Hunter Photo 2
Rielle Hunter Photo 3
Rielle Hunter Photo 4
Rielle Hunter Photo 5

Hunter said the tape was missing in fall 2008. “I learned the video recordings were missing in September or October 2008, in conjunction with a move of my personal belongings. I believe the Youngs or one of them in fact have possession of the video and/or one or more copies of the video.”

Hunter is suing the Youngs for the tape along with damages for invasion of privacy. The Youngs previously told ABC News “There was one tape that was marked ’special.’ It’s a s–x tape of Rielle and John Edwards made just a couple of months before the Iowa caucuses.” They added “It’s amazing the tape exists. … But to leave it in a house that’s for sale — where realtors are going to be coming through it — and leave it there for eight months — is unbelievable.”

• Comments (0)

ST LOUIS (LALATE) – Rachel “Bunny” Mellon and Fred Baron were the source of money for John Edwards examined by a grand jury, claim prosecutors. Rachel “Bunny” Mellon and Fred Baron funds for Rielle Hunter have for months dominated LALATE reports about the grand jury investigation into Edwards. But Friday, prosecutors confirmed in their four count indictment that the alleged source of the funds at issue did in fact come from Bunny Mellon and Fred Baron (both pictured above).

John Edwards will argue that money received did not follow the facts nor law outlined by prosecutors. Insiders believe that Edwards will assert that funds given were not illegal campaign contributions. But today we learned how much money was involved and who were the alleged sources of the money.

In a four count indictment tonight, prosecutors refer to a Person C and a Person D reportedly. “Person C” is allegedly heiress Rachel “Bunny” Mellon, and “Person D” is allegedly the late Fred Baron, claims CBS. For months, LALATE has been reporting that funds given during that period allegedly from Mellon and Barons were the subject of the grand jury’s investigation into Edwards’ actions. While the source of the money may or may not be in dispute, the purpose for the money and the recipient is reportedly being dispute. Mellon was a Edwards’ donor, Baron, a famed trial attorney like Edwards, was his finance campaign.

Edwards was charged today for four counts of illegal campaign contributions, conspiracy and making false statements. But where did the money go?

Mellon wrote in one letter she was angry about reports Edwards was paying over a thousand dollars for a haircut. “It inspired me – from now on, all haircuts, etc., that are necessary and important for his campaign – please send the bills to me… It is a way to help our friend without government restrictions”. Checks from Mellon allegedly went toward furniture amounting to roughly a quarter million dollars, claims reports. Baron allegedly paid for Hunter’s chartered air flights, her rental of a Santa Barbara mansion near Oprah previously detailed on LALATE, and more.

Rielle Hunter Pictures
Rielle Hunter Photo 1
Rielle Hunter Photo 3
Rielle Hunter Photo 3
Rielle Hunter Photo 4
Rielle Hunter Photo 5

initially, Young claimed to be Hunter’s baby daddy even though Hunter knew it was Edwards’ child. Young in his book “The Politician” claimed that Lisa Blue-Baron would comfort Hunter regularly during the debacle.

Prosecutors will argue that Rachel “Bunny” Mellon and Fred Baron allegedly paid Hunter and staffer Andrew Young upwards of $1 million. Young was hired to parade as Hunter’s baby daddy. He claims he was paid allegedly $30,000 for that role until both Hunter and Edwards came clean about paternity. The Santa Barbara mansion reportedly cost $20,000 a month.

• Comments (0)

LOS ANGELES (LALATE) – The Rielle Hunter scandal of John Edwards involved deception and lies far before today’s news. John Edwards from 2008 to last year lied to news about his relationship and paternity with Rielle Hunter and her child. The news story began with Edwards locking himself in the Beverly Hills Hilton to avoid the National Enquirer’s reporters. The paper went on garner award nominations for its coverage. The Enquirer exposed first that Hunter was Edwards’ mistress and that the Andrew Young relationship with Hunter was a scam. But after three years of being chased, literally, through hotel lobbies, the one time political candidate in 2010 came clean and admitted to not just the affair but also paternity.

Therein rests today’s confusion. Being untruthful about paternity, and fabricating Andrew Young as the father of his child, is not what John Edwards was indicted for today. Rather, prosecutions claim that Rachel “Bunny” Mellon and Fred Baron gave Andrew Young and Hunter nearly $900,000 as illegal campaign contributions to keep the Hunter scandal secret.

Edwards disagrees.

John Edwards will plead not guilty today and is expected to defend the case as to the facts and law. Edwards, who himself made fortunes as a trial attorney, is expected to assert that those funds did not violate campaign contribution laws.

Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer today issued a statement that “The centerpiece of Edwards’ candidacy was his public image as a family man”. But those laws, contrary to today’s news statement, have nothing to do with Edwards’ “public image”.

Yes, Edwards cheated on his wife, yes he had a love child, but did funds that Hunter and Edwards’ assistant receive amount to violation of campaign contributions? Edwards says absolutely not, and Bruer says positively it was illegal.

Rielle Hunter Pictures
Rielle Hunter Photo 1
Rielle Hunter Photo 3
Rielle Hunter Photo 3
Rielle Hunter Photo 4
Rielle Hunter Photo 5

“We will not permit candidates for high office to abuse their special ability to access the coffers of their political supporters to circumvent our election laws”. He added “Our campaign finance system is designed to preserve the integrity of democratic elections – for the presidency and all other elected offices – and we will vigorously pursue abuses of the kind alleged today.”

• Comments (0)