FBI Investigates David Copperfield's Warehouse

Friday, October 19th 2007, 8:00 am

By: News On 6

LAS VEGAS (AP) _ David Copperfield has been contacted by law enforcement authorities and the FBI has conducted an investigation in Las Vegas, where the magician regularly performs, his lawyer and the FBI confirmed.

Copperfield has a warehouse in Las Vegas that he has dubbed the International Museum & Library of the Conjuring Arts. He apparently stores tricks and memorabilia from around the world at the warehouse.

``I can confirm that there's investigative activity at the warehouse,'' FBI Special Agent David Staretz, spokesman for the Las Vegas office, said Thursday. Staretz wouldn't give further details.

Copperfield's Las Vegas attorney, David Chesnoff, said his client had been contacted by investigators.

``We understand there is an investigation, are in touch with the investigators, and are respecting the confidentiality of the investigation,'' Chesnoff said.

KLAS-TV reported that an FBI raid with 12 agents took place Wednesday at Copperfield's warehouse.

``I can say that there was investigative activity yesterday and yesterday evening in Las Vegas,'' Seattle FBI Agent Robbie Burroughs said Thursday, without specifying where the activity took place or who was involved.

``The investigation is related to a Seattle case. The Seattle case is pending and that means we can't say anything about it,'' Burroughs said.

Copperfield, 51, has been a longtime performer at the Hollywood Theater at the MGM Grand casino-hotel on the Las Vegas Strip, where he has performed in six- to eight-week stints several times a year, said MGM Mirage Inc. spokeswoman Yvette Monet.

Monet said Copperfield performed two shows Wednesday night, which were at the end of his most recent run. Monet said Copperfield was next scheduled to perform in Jakarta, Indonesia.