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Wednesday, March 27, 2024 | Back issues
Courthouse News Service Courthouse News Service

Man Says Cop Show Defamed Him|as a Drug Dealer Turned Informant

BROOKLYN (CN) - A Brooklyn man says Spike TV defamed him in its so-called "reality" show, "DEA," which portrayed him a "drug dealer" turned "confidential informant" and put his life in jeopardy by not blurring his image.

Iban Hernandez say the show taped him without permission, did not blur his identifying features and presented him as a narcotics trafficker and informant.

The defendants broadcast the episode on their cable channel and on SpikeTV.com in March this year, Hernandez says.

After the broadcast, Hernandez says he got death threats from viewers.

Defendants in Kings County Court include Viacom, Spike TV, MTV, Al Roker Entertainment, and Al Roker.

The Spike TV series allegedly follows Drug Enforcement Agency officers as they track down leads and make busts in houses where trafficking is suspected. It is in its second season.

(The complaint provided by the court cuts off after page 30.)

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