Let’s see what conspiracy theory gets sewn out of this one: CNN is reporting than an FBI official has told them possible serial murderer Joran Van Der Sloot was paid thousands of dollars by the law enforcement agency to show them where the body of missing Alabama teen Natalee Holloway was being hidden in Aruba. After taking the money, Van Der Sloot admitted to lying about her whereabouts. Talk about wasteful government spending.

A “Talk of the Town” item in this week’s New Yorker uses the extortion case involving Dave Letterman and CBS producer Robert Halderman — which keeps getting weirder and weirder, and doesn’t look like it’s going away any time soon — as a jumping-off point for a closer look at blackmail.

It was never about money for Robert Halderman. It was about revenge and jealousy. It was about David Letterman hugging his girlfriend. This morning, Howard Kurtz writes in the Washington Post that Halderman, the man who attempted to squeeze Dave Letterman for some $2 million, was motivated to blackmail the late night host after he saw him ‘passionately embrace’ his girlfriend.

David Letterman’s disclosure last night that he was being extorted for $2 million over the fact he’d had sex with women who’d worked for him made for was some serious must-see TV. Also, hello ratings! But it’s certainly not the first time Letterman has grabbed the morning after spotlight due to shocking behavior. Here’s a look at our Top Ten Most Shocking Late Night Moments.

Up until this mess broke wide open, Joe Halderman was known as an Emmy-winning producer for CBS’ 48 Hours. Millions of people may have seen the work of Halder, 51, but they didn’t know who he was. Now, his name is on the way to infamy — as the guy who tried to blackmail David Letterman.