Things are looking worse for Steven Seagal. The pony-tailed action hero is being fingered by an FBI informant as the man responsible for threats made against Los Angeles Times reporter Anita Busch, who had been investigating an alleged Mafia extortion plot against the "Under Siege" star.

Back in June, Busch received a rather cinematic threat on her car windshield: a dead fish, a rose and a note that simply said, "Stop," the Times reports.

Now, court documents show that Alexander Proctor -- a 59-year-old ex-convict charged with carrying out the threat -- told an FBI informant that he had done the dirty work for celebrity sleuth Anthony Pellicano, who in turn was subcontracting out a job requested by Seagal, 50.

"He wanted to make it look like the Italians were putting the hit on her so it wouldn't reflect on Seagal," Proctor apparently told the informant, according to the Times.

The FBI searched Pellicano's office Thursday, and agents arrested him in connection with what appeared to be explosive materials discovered in his office.

The feds, however, are playing it safe regarding any alleged Seagal connection. "At this time, other than Proctor's uncorroborated statements, there is no independent evidence that Seagal was involved in the threat made to the reporter," a federal law enforcement source close to the case tells the Times.

Seagal lawyer Martin R. Pollner also denied his client's involvement: "This uncorroborated allegation ... is pure fiction and is nothing more than a transparent attempt to divert attention from himself and the real perpetrators."