Photo: September 2006, CBS publicity still for Beslan: Three Days in September

That's Emmy Award winning CBS News producer Joe Halderman, who Radar Online and TMZ are reporting was the mastermind behind the failed extortion attempt on David Letterman.

CBS issued the following statement, "CBS was made aware of an ongoing police investigation involving David Letterman and an employee at '48 Hours,' who was subsequently arrested earlier today on charges of attempted grand larceny in the first degree. CBS is cooperating fully with the authorities and the employee has been suspended pending the results of the investigation. Mr. Letterman addressed the issue during the show's broadcast this evening, and we believe his comments speak for themselves."

Here's Halderman's bio from a showing of the film at The Tribeca Film Festival.

As the writer, producer and director of Three Days in September, Joe Halderman has drawn on the skills gained in his career in journalism. For more than 25 years, Halderman has been shooting, writing and producing news pieces. His work has taken him around the world, reporting on events from 75 different countries. Based in London for 12 years, he has also spent many months in the Soviet Union, and later Russia. Halderman has witnessed war firsthand, covering conflicts in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait, Bosnia and Lebanon. Halderman has been acknowledged for his work with seven Emmy awards and one Columbia Dupont award. He has two children and lives in Norwalk, Connecticut.

Halderman works for CBS's 48 Hours. According to RadarOnline he also lives with one of the women Letterman slept with. That would explain how he had the goods on Letterman...

Variety reports Letterman and Halderman met one three occasions as part of the sting that led to his arrest.