By Luisdes Diaz and Zachary Gelnaw-Rubin

Robert “Joe” Halderman, the CBS Producer who pleaded guilty in March to attempting to extort $2 million from talk show host David Letterman was sentenced to six months in Rikers Island today.

In addition to the jail time, Justice Charles Solomon gave Halderman five years probation and 1,000 hours of community service, half of which is to be served in New York, and half in Connecticut.

“The events that led to the crimes he commited were difficult,” said Halderman’s attorney Gerald Shargel outside Manhattan Supreme Court. “It’s clear why he did it, he has accepted responsibility, and has shown remorse.”

The charges arose last fall when Halderman schemed to blackmail Letterman for $2 million. If he didn’t receive payment, he threatened Letterman, he would expose many lurid secrets that he had gathered about the Late Show host’s adulterous lifestyle.

Halderman dodged a potential 15-year jail term in a plea bargain with Letterman’s attorneys and the DA Part of the deal was that Halderman is prohibited from ever going public with any of Letterman’s private stories.