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Mel Gibson Accuses Oksana Grigorieva of Extortion; Do Text Messages Implicate Him or Her?

Mel Gibson Accuses Oskana Grigorieva of Extortion; Do Text Messages Implicate Him or Her?
Mel Gibson and Oksana Grigorieva (AP Photo) AP Photo

LOS ANGELES (CBS/AP) Los Angeles Sheriff's detectives are investigating Mel Gibson's ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva on accusations that she tried to extort money from the actor-director, said an official Wednesday.

PICTURES: Mel Gibson's Sickest Rants

According to TMZ, sources close to the "Lethal Weapon" star claim that Grigorieva commanded $10 million from him in order to keep the explosive audiotapes of him spouting a litany of derogatory comments from the public.

The tapes have been released over the past two weeks by RadarOnline.com.

Steve Whitmore, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department spokesman, declined to release any details regarding the claim filed by Gibson's lawyers or information on when the inquiry might conclude.

"Detectives will follow the investigation wherever it leads," said Whitmore.

"To specifically address the allegations, my client, Ms. Grigorieva, has reportedly stated that there is no credible evidence whatsoever of extortion by her, and she stands steadfast by that statement," said Stephen Jaffe, Grigorieva's spokesman.

However, a source close to the case told The Hollywood Reporter that Grigorieva wrote a text message to Gibson stating the reason she recorded him was because "you broke your agreement to me."

And now RadarOnline.com reporting that Gibson sent a text to Grigorieva that's potentially incriminating for the star. It reads, says the site, "Oksana, I wasn't safe for you last night."

Which text is worse? Were the tapes edited? Are you as sick of this as I am?

It is even possible that the tapes, as ghastly as they are, won't hold up in court. Under California law both parties must agree to have a phone conversation recorded, which could render them useless in court, according to The Los Angeles Times.

Complete Coverage of Mel Gibson on Crimesider.

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