marieclaire.com.au (^) | 61
SOCIETY
Affairs go bad, and when they do Herman Weisberg is the guy
to call. Anne Fullerton sits down with the man the philandering
uber-rich keep on speed dial for when love and sex turn sour
I
t’s a hot summer evening in New York, the tail
end of the type of stifling day that makes shirts
cling to backs. But that’s not the only reason
Herman Weisberg is uncomfortable. He has
arrived early to the restaurant where they’ve
agreed to meet, a Mexican dive in one of Brooklyn’s
tougher neighbourhoods, to find she’s already
waiting. It’s a surprise, and Weisberg hates surprises.
He nods hello and reluctantly slides into the seat
opposite – the one with its back to the door – before
offering to buy her a drink. She accepts – they always
do. Margarita on the rocks, no salt. She’s curvy,
with fake lashes and inch-long nails, but even in
the dark he can see the faint shadow of facial hair.
Once the drinks arrive, he cuts to the chase.
He’s not here to make a deal for sex, he’s here to help
her out of a situation. She’s been harassing his client
in New York, demanding money in exchange for
keeping a secret is extortion, a criminal offence that
carries jail time. He’s prepared to go to the police, but
he’s also prepared to let her walk away – provided she
never contacts his client again. She downs her drink
and stands up to leave. Usually that’s the end of it,
but things take a different turn this time.
“She starts yelling at me, shouting that my client
owes her money. I can see the bartender is picking up
the phone to call the police,” says Weisberg, himself
an ex-cop. “I explain [to her], ‘I’m not here to hurt
you, I’m here to help you. Let’s be cordial.’”
Weisberg is accustomed to diffusing a
less-than-warm welcome. As New York’s premier
private investigator, his nine-to-five means being
immersed in the indiscretions, secrets and mistakes of
America’s rich and famous (mostly) men. This time, a
client’s drug-fuelled bender with a pair of transgender
prostitutes has snowballed into demands for money
in exchange for the preservation of his quiet suburban
life. “What this guy had done was stupid. But taking
them back to the house where you lived with your wife
and children? That’s really stupid,” Weisberg says,
shaking his head incredulously. Still, the stupidity of
rich men (think CEOs, celebrites and politicians
you’ve heard of, though he can’t name names) is the
foundation of Weisberg’s work. And business is good.
Weisberg deals with all manner of white-collar
crime, but it’s his diplomacy handling the spurned
lovers of wealthy, high-profile titans of industry,
entertainment and politics that has earned him the
moniker of the “mistress whisperer”. We’re sitting in
the Manhattan office of his firm, Sage Intelligence
Group, where the walls are lined with letters and
signed photographs from clients – including talk-
show host David Letterman, who was notoriously
blackmailed by the boyfriend of an assistant with
whom he’d had an affair in 2009. (Weisberg is
tight-lipped about what he charges, but suffice to say
if you have to ask you probably can’t afford him.)
Dressed in jeans and a jacket, he’s much friendlier
than he appears in photos, though it’s easy to see
how in different circumstances, the shaved head
and suit jacket could register as intimidating.
Though he’s spent a career poring over the most
unsavoury sides of humanity, Weisberg’s most recent
client might be his most controversial. It became
public last year that he has been engaged by
the attorney representing Harvey Weinstein, the
disgraced Hollywood producer facing rape charges.
When Weinstein arrived at a Manhattan police
station to hand himself in, Weisberg was by his side.
He can’t talk about specific cases – especially not one
that’s yet to go to trial – however The Hollywood
Reporter says Weisberg has received death threats
for working on Weinstein’s case. “I don’t choose
my clients, my clients choose me,” says Weisberg.
“Simply put, my job is to uncover the truth.”
Weisberg, who spent 20
years with the New York Police
Department, says he only gets
involved in the fallout from
affairs when something illegal
takes place, such as attempted
extortion. During his time
with the NYPD, he worked
undercover in Public Morals, now called Vice, dealing
with houses of prostitution and sex trafficking. This
was followed by stints in Narcotics and Intelligence,
before he broke away to start his own practice
(which also includes standard corporate PI work).
All of this has made him relatively unshockable,
a relief to clients who are scared and often deeply
embarrassed by the time they’re sitting across the
desk from him. Because Weisberg only accepts cases
through attorneys, his clients all fit a similar profile:
“Usually male, high net worth, sometimes notable.
People who go to their attorneys with their problems
are usually well-to-do.” In other words, men who
have plenty to lose, both financially and socially.
By contrast, the women and men that they’re
involved with vary wildly. Some are semi-professional
opportunists, “escortionists” as Weisberg calls
them, who make a living from hooking up with and
MAIL blackmailing men. “A married man goes to speak
THE STUPIDITY OF
RICH MEN IS THE BASIS
OF HIS WORK. AND
BUSINESS IS GOOD