No End in Sight to Inquiry Into Murdoch's Media Empire LONDON - The phone hacking scandal that shook Rupert Murdoch's global media empire and hit the heart of the British government began quietly on a Monday in 2005, when aides to the British royal family gathered in a palace office appointed with priceless antiques to air suspicions that their voice mail messages had been intercepted. Noah Berger/Associated Press The scandal over Rupert Murdoch's media empire could potentially cross the Atlantic. Seven years and dozens of arrests later, the day after the latest criminal charges were brought, information from the police, prosecutors and investigators indicated Wednesday that the investigations are likely to go on for years, with no obvious end in sight. Rebekah Brooks, the former editor of Mr. Murdoch's Sun and News of the World tabloids, who rose to become chief executive of his British newspaper subsidiary, News International, and a close friend to Prime Minister David Cameron, was among the first to face criminal charges, the authorities announced Tuesday. Ms. Brooks, her husband and four former colleagues were accused of perverting the course of justice by removing materials pertinent to police investigations - charges she called "unjust." Ms. Brooks, who will appear in court on June 13, will most likely not be the last to face prosecution, the police and prosecutors said. There are three current police operations, Scotland Yard confirmed: Operation Weeting, which is examining illegal voice mail interceptions, currently employs 95 officers and staff members and has made 22 arrests; Operation Tuleta, which is looking into computer hacking, employs eight and has made three arrests; and Operation Elveden, which is exploring illegal payments by journalists to public officials, employs 29 and has made 28 arrests. "It is difficult to give an end date," said a police spokesman, who declined to be identified in line with policy. We follow the evidence, and it's impossible to say where it will lead. It's safe to say it will last years. A police budget for all the investigations into journalism extends into 2015, and anticipates that the cost will reach $64 million in total. Criminal trials for central players in the scandal could air new information. Among those who could face charges is Andy Coulson, the former editor of The News of the World who later became Mr. Cameron's director of communications. If it is proved that those in Mr. Murdoch's employ conspired to pay public officials to further business interests, experts say he could be at risk of sanctions in the United States under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Even a small fine would threaten to take the scandal across the Atlantic, and increase political pressure on Mr. Murdoch's lucrative American interests. A far-reaching British public inquiry, led by a senior judge, Lord Justice Brian Leveson, is running in parallel to the criminal investigations. It has elicited explosive testimony from Mr. Murdoch, his son James and their former senior executives and will continue into July with appearances by leading past and present politicians, said John Toker, a spokesman for the inquiry. On the witness stand in the next two weeks will be Culture Minister Jeremy Hunt, who is accused of seeking to aid Mr. Murdoch's bid to take over a British satellite broadcaster, BSkyB, instead of adjudicating it impartially. It is unclear whether Mr. Cameron and his chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, will also give evidence on their relationships with the Murdoch family and company executives. Both officials have faced embarrassing allegations that dinners and parties with the Murdochs, including a gathering that Mr. Cameron attended on Mr. Murdoch's yacht, reveal an inappropriate coziness that may have influenced the BSkyB deal. The inquiry's report will be released in October, Mr. Toker said, and the second part of the inquiry, focusing on the hacking scandal, will begin after criminal proceedings have ended. Meanwhile, more than 100 civil lawsuits alleging illegal voice mail interceptions have been filed, according to court records. Many suits have been settled at an undisclosed cost, which could reach hundreds of millions of dollars in damages and legal fees. The police have said that there are likely more than 800 victims. The judge overseeing the cases, Geoffrey Vos, set a trial date of Feb. 18, 2013, for any cases that are not settled out of court. News International has also come under some pressure to waive legal privilege and allow the release of an internal dossier on hacking, compiled by the law firm BCL Burton Copeland in 2006, that might reveal whether senior executives knew of widespread illegality even as they said that hacking was limited to "one rogue reporter," Clive Goodman, who was jailed in 2007. A News International spokeswoman declined to comment on the matter, and the law firm did not respond to messages. "We're now thinking in terms of years, not weeks or months," said a News International official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal strategy. But the company may not be alone. Other allegations of phone hacking outside of Mr. Murdoch's empire - including accusations that it took place at a large corporation - are likely to emerge, one person familiar with the investigations said.