A spokesman for the US Attorney's Office said Eric Ford had used a scanner modified to intercept cellular phone calls to eavesdrop on the call made in February this year.

Police have charged the 27-year-old in Los Angeles with illegal wire-tapping and disclosing its contents for financial gain.

Bail set at $10,000

Six weeks later he allegedly offered to sell the contents of the phone call to representatives of a British tabloid, and on June 12 he agreed to sell them to Globe Communications, publishers of the US tabloid The Globe, the spokesman said.

The Globe published an article based on the information on June 30, reporting that it detailed a conversation involving a row between Cruise and Kidman about their marriage of nearly eight years.

Could face 15 years in prison

Ford has been ordered to appear in court on Monday to enter a plea. Bail was set at $10,000. If convicted, he could face up to 15 years in prison.

Earlier this year Cruise and Kidman, who met when they worked together on the movie Days of Thunder in 1990 and were married the same year, won their libel action against the British Express newspaper for allegations that their marriage was a sham, designed to cover up their homosexuality.