‘ACORN Pimp’ arrested trying to tap Senator's office phone

The FBI arrested four men after uncovering a plot to wiretap the New Orleans office phone of Louisiana senator Mary Landrieu, according to media reports.

Among those arrested is James O'Keefe, 25, best known for posing as a pimp in politically motivated undercover videos of ACORN workers.

From the Hill:

FBI Special Agent Steven Rayes alleges that O'Keefe aided and abetted Joseph Basel and Robert Flanagan, who dressed up as employees of a telephone company and attempted to interfere with the office's telephone system. Flanagan is the son of William J. Flanagan, acting U.S. attorney for the Western District of Louisiana, a Democratic official said.

The New Orleans Times-Picayune said that Stan Dai, who like Basel and Flanagan is 24, was also arrested. The four were charged with entering federal property under false pretenses with the intent of committing a felony.

Says the Times-Picayune on nola.com:

According to the FBI affidavit, Flanagan and Basel entered the federal building at 500 Poydras Street about 11 a.m. Monday, dressed as telephone company employees, wearing jeans, fluorescent green vests, tool belts, and hard hats. When they arrived at Landrieu's 10th floor office, O'Keefe was already in the office and had told a staffer he was waiting for someone to arrive.

After being asked, the staffer gave Basel access to the main phone at the reception desk. The staffer told investigators that Basel manipulated the handset. He also tried to call the main office phone using his cell phone, and said the main line wasn't working. Flanagan did the same.

The men were caught after they attempted to gain access to the buildings main telephone closet, says the Times-Picayne.

O'Keefe sparked a firestorm of conservative attacks on ACORN, a liberal community organizing group, when he dressed as a sterotypical pimp and taped ACORN employees offering advice on running a prostitution ring.

ACORN admits wrongdoing by the employees shown in O'Keefe's videos, but maintains that they were edited to cast them in a bad light.

The four men were released on bond, reports the Times-Picayune.