American actor Steven Seagal says false allegations by the FBI ruined his action-movie career and is demanding an apology, the Los Angles Times reported Friday. (File Photo)

    BEIJING, Aug. 21 (Xinhuanet) -- American actor Steven Seagal says false allegations by the FBI ruined his action-movie career and is demanding an apology, the Los Angles Times reported Friday.

    The public comments in the Times are the first Seagal has made about an investigation begun in 2002 by the FBI into accusations he threatened a reporter and had ties to organized crime.

    "False FBI accusations fueled thousands of articles saying that I terrorize journalists and associate with the Mafia," Seagal told the newspaper. "These kinds of inflammatory allegations scare studio heads and independent producers -- and kill careers."

    Seagal, 56, was once a major star of action movies such as 1992's "Under Siege," which earned 156 million U.S. dollars at worldwide box offices, but now he makes straight-to-DVD releases such as "Flight of Fury" and "Attack Force."

    A devout Buddhist and practitioner of Asian traditional medicine, Seagal earned 7th-degree black belts as a young man in Aikido, karate, judo and kenda. Nicknamed "The Master of Aikido," he was the first westerner to open a martial arts school in Japan. His high-voltage action films serve as a backdrop for Far Eastern spiritual concepts and encourage social and environmental consciousness.

    The FBI investigation resulted from Seagal's association with former private detective Anthony Pellicano, who is now in federal prison awaiting trial on wire-tapping and other charges.

    The Pellicano investigation dates to 2002 when a freelance reporter for the Los Angeles Times found a dead fish, a red rose and a note saying "Stop!" on her car. At the time, the reporter was researching Seagal and a former business partner.

    Seagal told the Times he and Pellicano had not been on speaking terms since the 1990s and the Times' story said his lawyers told FBI agents that by 2002, Seagal and Pellicano had become rivals in a bitter legal dispute.

    A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney noted Seagal has never been charged or accused of being involved in the incident that eventually led to Pellicano's arrest. The spokesman added the office does not comment on talks it has with attorneys representing defendants, investigation targets or witnesses.

    (Agencies)