Diaz Photog Off to Jail
He who tried to sully Cameron Diaz's angelic image shall now pay the price.
Photographer John Rutter, who was convicted in July on felony charges of forgery, perjury and attempted grand theft, was sentenced Thursday to almost four years behind bars.
Rutter's troubles began after he approached Diaz with topless photos he snapped of her in 1992--before her film career skyrocketed--and demanded that the actress hand over $3 million for the shots or else he would sell them to the highest bidder.
Diaz maintained that she never signed a release for the photos and insisted that the signature on Rutter's document was a forgery--a finding that was substantiated by forensic experts in court.
Calling Rutter the "shot-caller" in a "scheme to defraud Miss Diaz," Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael E. Pastor rejected the shutterbug's plea for probation and ordered him to do 44 months in state prison.
Rutter had faced a maximum sentence of 56 months behind bars.
Though Rutter had no prior criminal record, Pastor said that his actions in the Diaz situation involved "definite criminal sophistication."
"Mr. Rutter did take advantage of a position of confidence that Miss Diaz had in Mr. Rutter," Pastor said.
Diaz was not in court for the photog's sentencing, but his mother and girlfriend looked on as he read from a statement, calling the situation a "misunderstanding" and asking for leniency.
"I deeply regret the perception that I had done wrong," Rutter told the judge. "I never intended any harm...It's a shame this whole mess ever happened."
Rutter even invoked literary references in an effort to explain his plight, saying that he felt like he was living in a modern-day version of John Steinbeck' s The Pearl.
"My pearl, my life, my loved ones have been turned upside down," Rutter said.
However, the judge was apparently in a less than sympathetic mood, stating that he felt Rutter was "not remorseful" and that his remarks came "too little, too late and are simply not credible as far as I'm concerned."
Outside the court following the hearing, Deputy District Attorney David Walgren told reporters that, in his opinion, Rutter was "a forgerer, a con artist, a schemer that attempted to unfairly take advantage of Miss Diaz.
"He's consistently shown no remorse. He's consistently insisted he is the victim. He has consistently accused others of wrongdoing and denied any responsibility for himself," the prosecutor said.
Diaz and Rutter still have to square off in a civil case related to the photos. Trial in that matter is scheduled for Feb. 15, 2006 in Santa Monica Superior Court.
Meanwhile, Diaz will be returning to the big screen next month in In Her Shoes, her first onscreen role since 2003's Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle.
Her breasts, on the other hand, will stay under wraps.
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