FBI raids illusionist Copperfield, finds millions

LOS ANGELES, Oct 19 (Reuters) FBI agents have seized nearly 2 million dollars in cash from a Las Vegas warehouse owned by illusionist David Copperfield, local media reports said.

The agents also took a computer hard drive and a memory chip from a digital camera system during Wednesday's late-night operation. The reports said the raid stems from an investigation in Seattle.

''We understand there is an investigation, are in touch with the investigators, and are respecting the confidentiality of the investigation,'' Copperfield's attorney David Chesnoff said in a statement cited by Las Vegas broadcasters.

The local CBS affiliate KLAS-TV quoted a source as saying the cash was stashed in a safe and that agents took the cash.

Copperfield, 51, whose real name is David Kotkin, is famed for stunts such as making the Statue of Liberty disappear and walking through the Great Wall of China. He is a regular performer at the MGM Grand hotel in Las Vegas.

REUTERS SYU DS1243