Rupert Murdoch Facing Possible U.S. Prosecution Over Jude Law Hacking Claim: Report

A claim by Jude Law could bring Rupert Murdoch a whole new American headache.

The actor is alleging that the News of the World--the now-shuttered tabloid whose industrial-scale hacking operation has plunged Murdoch's News Corp into its deepest-ever crisis--illegally listened to his voicemails while he was in the United States, according to a report in the Daily Mail.

Scores of celebrities and high-profile figures have allegedly had their phones hacked by the paper, and at least one--Sienna Miller--has received a formal apology and a six-figure settlement. But Law is the first to claim that he was hacked on American soil--something that, as the Mail writes, could open Murdoch to a U.S. prosecution.

The scandal has become so dire, however, that it is just one of several potential legal threats Murdoch faces in the U.S. The FBI is investigating claims that News of the World reporters tried to hack into the phones of 9/11 victims. There is also speculation that the company could be found liable under U.S. foreign anti-corruption laws if it is found to have bribed British citizens to keep them quiet about phone-hacking.

Law alleges that the News of the World hacked into his phones while he was staying in New York on his way to film "I Heart Huckabees" in 2003, and produced extremely detailed stories based on his voicemails.

The actor is also suing The Sun, another Murdoch paper. The Sun is vigorously contesting the charges.