LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles County sheriff’s detectives were “looking into” whether Mel Gibson’s ex-girlfriend tried to extort money from him in connection with a series of taped phone calls and allegations of domestic abuse, an official said Wednesday.
Sheriff’s detectives already have been examining allegations by Oksana Grigorieva that Gibson hurt her and their child. Now, that inquiry has been expanded to include the extortion allegations, said Steve Whitmore, a spokesman for the Sheriff’s Department.
Gibson’s lawyers have strongly denied allegations of domestic abuse against the film star. Sheriff’s detectives obtained the audio tapes, in which Gibson apparently told Grigorieva that she “deserved” to be hit, during a recent closed-door hearing in the Gibson-Grigorieva child-custody case, but they may not be admissable in court. The tapes were apparently recorded without the “Lethal Weapon” star’s permission. Los Angeles Times
