[UPDATE BELOW] In the end, it wasn't Rupert Murdoch's knife-wielding Oz monkeys who came for FOX "mole" Joe Muto, but the Manhattan DA's office. Muto tweeted that he was "search warranted" by a "very polite" crew that took his computer and other personal affects. According to Muto, the warrant indicated, "Fox News is apparently accusing me of grand larceny, amongst other things."
Poynter notes that a few weeks back, Roger Ailes made a comment on the mole: “The mole shows a culture that believes in theft, a lack of loyalty, turning on his colleagues, lying to management, and there are some real, ethical, serious questions about it.” Indeed! It must make Ailes feel filthy—take a shower, man! Just be sure to use a falafel.
We reached out to Gawker to see if they'll help Muto's legal defense fund should he be prosecuted. Muto was reportedly paid $5,000 for his services, which he'll burn through quickly retaining an attorney if he's charged. But it seems he still has his sense of humor:
I should have done something more innocuous, like hacked a dead girl's phone and interfered with a police investigation.
— Joe Muto (@JoeMuto) April 25, 2012
[UPDATE] Gawker Media's Gaby Darbyshire tells us via email, "Yes, he's an employee, and yes, we will assist him in any case."
