Los Angeles ? A Hollywood private investigator was convicted Thursday of federal racketeering and other charges for digging up dirt for his well-heeled clients to use in lawsuits, divorces and contract disputes against the rich and famous.

Anthony Pellicano, 64, was accused of wiretapping stars, such as Sylvester Stallone, and running the names of others, such as Garry Shandling and Kevin Nealon, through law enforcement databases to help clients in legal and other disputes.

Pellicano was found guilty of all but one of the 77 counts against him.

Before the verdicts were read, Pellicano seemed at ease, grinning and scanning the room. But when he realized the jury had found him guilty, he crossed his arms, took his glasses off and looked around with a blank expression.

The jury found him guilty of racketeering and racketeering conspiracy, along with wiretapping, wire fraud, identity theft, conspiracy to intercept or use wire communications and manufacture or possession of a wiretapping device. He was acquitted of a charge of unauthorized computer access.

The jury also found four co-defendants guilty of a variety of charges.

The indictment charging Pellicano and his supporting cast in February 2006 had Hollywood buzzing with speculation about who might be ensnared in the investigation and what secrets might be revealed.

Fourteen people were charged and seven, including film director John McTiernan and former Hollywood Records president Robert Pfeifer, have pleaded guilty to charges including perjury and conspiracy.

But the biggest power brokers with links to Pellicano, such as famed entertainment attorney Bert Fields, Paramount studio head Brad Grey and one-time superagent Michael Ovitz, insisted they didn’t know about his methods and weren’t charged.

Actor-comedian Chris Rock testified during the trial, telling jurors he hired Pellicano in 1999 through his attorney but did not know about his tactics. Rock said he was the target of a shakedown by a model who claimed she became pregnant during a one-night stand at the Beverly Hills Hotel when Rock was separated from his wife.

Actor Steven Seagal blamed his slumping career on the negative publicity he said resulted from the FBI affidavit that accused him of hiring Pellicano to threaten a Los Angeles Times freelance reporter, who was working on a story about Seagal’s possible ties to organized crime. That reporter testified during the trial it was Ovitz, and not Seagal, she believed was behind threats made on her.