Oksana Grigorieva Case: Conflict of Interest With D.A.?

No decision has been made yet, but sources report that Mel Gibson is likely to be charged with domestic violence in an alleged attack on Oksana Grigorieva. At the same time, Oksana, who Mel alleges tried to bilk him out of millions by lording his taped rants over his head, is likely to be off the hook for extortion. The question complicating an already confusing, drawn-out mess of a case is whether L.A. County District Attorney Steve Cooley should even be involved. Is the D.A. biased by a connection to Oksana's lawyer? The D.A.'s office will soon decide the fate of Oksana and Mel, but critics are pointing to fundraisers he attended on his own behalf as questionable. Why? The lawyer who negotiated Oksana's $15 million settlement - which she left on the table, and is at the core of the extortion investigation - is Eric George. George, a prominent Beverly Hills civil lawyer, hosted both campaign fundraisers last year, while the L.A. County Sheriff's Department was investigating. George contributed more than $8,000 to Cooley in 2010 ...  of that, George contributed $1,992 in August, during the Sheriff's investigation of Oksana. It is worth noting, as TMZ points out, that George has had a long-standing friendship with D.A. Cooley and has made contributions to him in the past. Still, sheriff's investigators believe there's "strong evidence" that Oksana extorted Mel by threatening to release the infamous tapes unless she got paid. Yet the D.A.'s office disagrees with Sheriff's investigators and has all but decided not to prosecute Oksana, while Mel is likely to be charged imminently. There is grousing among some people in law enforcement that Cooley should have completely removed himself from the decision-making process. Prosecutors will make a decision "very soon" and Cooley likely will not participate because he's about to go on a long-standing, out-of-town vacation. A spokesperson would not say whether Cooley would make the filing decision if he's back in town when his deputies make their recommendation.top celebrities celebrity couples female celebrities