David Pecker, 72, was the first witness called to testify by prosecutors.

From 1999 to 2020, he was the chairman, president, and CEO of American Media Inc., which published mainly celebrity magazines including National Enquirer, the Globe, Life and Style, US Weekly.

Mr. Pecker said there were different departments, but he had final say.

"On the celebrity side, we used checkbook journalism and we paid for stories," Mr. Pecker said.

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