Michael Jackson's father seeks an allowance from late singer's estate

Michael Jackson’s father wants the late singer’s estate to help him cover living expenses that exceed $20,000 a month, according to court papers filed Friday.

The estate is already paying Jackson’s mother a monthly allowance of $26,000, and an attorney for Joe Jackson wrote in the Superior Court filing that the family patriarch was entitled to the “same manner” of support. In the papers, the 81-year-old’s lawyer wrote that Michael Jackson had footed his father’s bills for decades.

“He does not have a regular or steady source of income, and he was dependent upon the money provided by his son, Michael Jackson, through his wife, Katherine Jackson, for his support,” attorney Brian Oxman wrote. He said in an interview that the amount the singer paid to his parents when he was alive far exceeded what Katherine Jackson is currently getting.

“She’s receiving sufficiently less....When Michael passed away, the money stopped,” he said.
 

Big crowds expected at Staples Center and L.A. Live tonight

More than 25,000 people are expected to descend on a two-block area of downtown tonight for both the Lakers-Clippers basketball game and the premiere of the Michael Jackson movie “This is It,” prompting officials to warn fans of heavy traffic and urging them to come early.

The red carpet arrivals at L.A. Live's Nokia Theatre will begin at 4 p.m., followed by the screening at 6. The basketball game begins next door at Staples Center at 7:30.

That will be followed by the grand opening of the Regal Cinemas at L.A. Live, which will begin showing “This is It” at 9.

“We’re trying to educate people to leave plenty of time to get here early,” said Cara Vanderhook, a Staples spokeswoman.

L.A. Council ignores Trutanich warning, backs signs for theater at L.A. Live

The Los Angeles City Council today unanimously backed city building officials’ authority to issue six controversial sign permits at the L.A. Live entertainment district downtown, a direct challenge to City Atty. Carmen Trutanich’s warning that officials could be prosecuted if they allow the signs to go up.

With today’s backing from the council, Building and Safety general manager Raymond Chan said he plans to issue the permits despite Trutanich’s warning. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa also supports issuing the permits, said Jeff Carr, the mayor’s chief of staff.

The action comes just days after the owner of the downtown entertainment complex, Anschutz Entertainment Group, accused Trutanich of trying to “bully’’ the company by blocking signs for its new Regal Cinemas before the movie theater’s grand opening on Tuesday.

William W. Carter, the chief deputy city attorney, warned the council before its vote that granting the permits to AEG could “unravel” a new sign ban approved by the council in August that prohibits all digital signs, supergraphics and freeway facing billboards. Outdoor advertising companies had successfully challenged the city’s past sign restrictions because the council had granted similar exemptions, he said.

City attorney says L.A. 'wasted a lot of dough' on Michael Jackson memorial, defends quest for payment

City Atty. Carmen Trutanich defended his efforts to recoup city dollars spent on the Michael Jackson memorial from the owner of Staples Center, but denied today that he asked AEG President and CEO Tim Leiweke for $6 million during a meeting in July.
 
A day after Leiweke told The Times editorial board that Trutanich tried to “bully” the company into paying the city the money to cover various city services provided during the Jackson memorial, Trutanich justified his actions in a speech to members of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce at City Hall.
 

“If going after your money is being a bully, then I’m a bully; I have no problem doing that,” Trutanich said. “We wasted a lot of dough on the Michael Jackson memorial. We wasted a lot of money. Now if any of you think that we didn’t, I’ll take your donation after my speech.”

Michael Jackson's children 'doing wonderfully,' judge says

How are Michael Jackson's children doing since the pop star's death this summer? The judge overseeing Jackson's estate said they are doing well.

"It looks like the children are really doing wonderfully with their grandmother guardian." said Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff.

AP: Michael Jackson's arms covered with punctures, autopsy shows

A Los Angeles County coroner's report shows Michael Jackson was fairly healthy before he died of an overdose, although his arms were covered with punctures and his face and neck were scarred, the Associated Press reported today.

He weighed 136 pounds at the time of his death, considered an acceptable range for a 5-foot-9 man. The AP obtained his autopsy report, which has not been released publicly, and has more:

Michael Jackson's arms were covered with punctures, his face and neck were scarred and he had tattooed eyebrows and lips, but he wasn't the sickly skeleton of a man portrayed by tabloids, according to his autopsy report obtained by the Associated Press.

In fact, the Los Angeles County coroner's report shows Jackson was a fairly healthy 50-year-old before he died of an overdose. His 136 pounds were in the acceptable range for a 5-foot-9 man. His heart was strong with no sign of plaque buildup. And his kidneys and most other major organs were normal.

Still, Jackson had health issues: arthritis in the lower spine and some fingers, and mild plaque buildup in his leg arteries. Most serious was his lungs, which the autopsy report said were chronically inflamed and had reduced capacity that might have left him short of breath.

Jackson died at his rented mansion June 25 after he was administered the anesthetic propofol and two other sedatives to get the chronic insomniac to sleep, court documents state. Propofol, normally a surgical anesthetic used in operating rooms, acts as a respiratory depressant and requires constant monitoring.

A physician who was present at the mansion, cardiologist Dr. Conrad Murray, told police he left the room to use the bathroom and phone records show he also made calls for 47 minutes around the time Jackson encountered problems. When Murray realized Jackson was unresponsive, he began frantic efforts to revive him, but Jackson never regained consciousness. He was declared dead at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.

Full coverage: Michael Jackson's Life and Death

Interactive timeline: Michael Jackson | 1958-2009

Video Q&A: Times reporters on Michael Jackson's death

Doctor's girlfriend completes grand jury testimony

The girlfriend of Michael Jackson’s personal physician today completed her testimony before a Los Angeles County grand jury, her attorney said.

Nicole Alvarez, the mother of Dr. Conrad Murray’s infant son, appeared before the panel briefly Wednesday and returned this morning, said her lawyer, Joseph Low IV of Long Beach.

“She’s done,” Low said. “She participated fully.”

He said court rules guarding the secrecy of grand juries prohibit him from saying anything about the substance of her testimony. Another source familiar with the proceedings confirmed that Alvarez was present at the grand jury both days.

Authorities have identified Murray, 51, in court papers as the target of a manslaughter investigation in connection with Jackson's death June 25.

Sources with knowledge of the matter have said Alvarez, a 27-year-old actress who lives in Santa Monica, was summoned before the panel to answer questions because she was uncooperative with Los Angeles Police Department detectives seeking to interview her.

Alvarez's lawyer maintains that investigators tried to question her without a lawyer or advance notice.

Prosecutors can use the grand jury's subpoena power to compel statements from witnesses who are not forthcoming.

Murray has acknowledged giving Jackson sedatives and the anesthetic propofol in the hours leading up to his death.

County coroner’s officials said “acute propofol intoxication” combined with the use of sedatives caused the singer's death.

—Harriet Ryan and Richard Winton

Girlfriend of Michael Jackson's doctor to testify before grand jury, sources say [Updated]

Prosecutors investigating Michael Jackson’s death have called the girlfriend of the singer’s personal doctor to testify before a grand jury this week, according to sources familiar with the matter.

The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office is asking a grand jury only to take testimony from Nicole Alvarez, 27, and is not being asked "at this time" to determine whether Dr. Conrad Murray should be charged with a crime, the sources said. Murray is the target of a manslaughter probe related to Jackson's death, and the sources told The Times the girlfriend has not been cooperating with detectives.

Instead, prosecutors are using the panel’s subpoena power to question Alvarez, according to the sources, who spoke on the condition that they not be named because the investigation is ongoing.

This summer, police searched the apartment where Alvarez lives with the couple’s infant son, but she was not forthcoming with detectives, the sources said.

Jackson estate pays singer's mother $86,000 a month for expenses

Michael Jackson’s estate is paying his mother more than $86,000 a month to cover her living expenses and those of the pop icon’s three children, according to papers filed today in probate court.

The singer supported his mother, Katherine, 79, during his life and left her and his children the majority of his vast music empire in a 2002 will.

Since it could take years to settle Jackson’s affairs and fund the family trust that will support her and the children, estate administrators received court approval to pay Katherine Jackson a personal allowance and an extra amount for the support of the children. Jackson’s estate is estimated to be worth more than $500 million, according to court papers. 

She will receive $26,804 a month and control an additional $60,000 for food, clothing, education and entertainment for his children, according to the Superior Court documents and attorneys’ comments in recent court hearings.

Michael Jackson's dermatologist sues another celebrity doctor for alleged slander

Given all the sensational allegations and conspiracy theories advanced over the last few months about Michael Jackson and the circumstances of his death, perhaps the only thing surprising about the slander suit that landed in Superior Court this week was that it took so long.

In court papers filed Monday, Jackson’s longtime dermatologist and friend, Dr. Arnold Klein, accused a cosmetic surgeon who boasts his own decades-long relationship with the singer of making false statements to a British tabloid about Klein in an attempt to wreck his reputation and celebrity-studded Beverly Hills practice.

Dr. Steven Hoefflin, a Santa Monica doctor known for treating the rich and famous, and Klein are “competitors in a highly specialized and elite field which caters to a very exclusive clientele,” Klein’s attorneys claimed in the suit. They wrote that Hoefflin’s comments in an Aug. 26 article in the London paper The Sun have caused “extensive damage” to a reputation Klein has taken decades to build and that includes media-bestowed titles such as “dermatologist to the stars” and “king of collagen.”

Coroner's office cleared in criminal inquiry into Michael Jackson leaks [Updated]

Los Angeles County sheriff’s investigators have concluded a nearly two-month inquiry into whether county coroner’s employees illegally leaked or sold private information from Michael Jackson’s death investigation, a sheriff’s spokesman announced today.

After interviewing coroner’s staff and consulting with the district attorney’s office, investigators from the sheriff’s internal criminal investigations bureau determined that no criminal violations occurred, according to sheriff’s spokesman Steve Whitmore.

“We didn’t find any criminal wrongdoing,” Whitmore said.

Results of the inquiry were presented to county supervisors and the county’s chief executive Thursday, Whitmore said.

Supervisors called for the inquiry July 25, after The Times reported that the pop star’s death certificate had been viewed more than 300 times, including by half a dozen coroner’s employees not involved in the investigation.

Whitmore said investigators “did their due diligence” and found no evidence that coroner’s employees illegally accessed or sold information from the Jackson case, although they may have violated department policies.

Craig Harvey, the chief coroner’s investigator, had said employees who inappropriately viewed Jackson’s records were warned -- the proper discipline, according to county civil services rules --
and that no further investigation was needed.

[Updated at 4:50 p.m.: Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas today called the sheriff’s review “very limited” and said that he is awaiting results of a county audit of the coroner that is underway.

“That should be the more telling report because it will be more thorough,” Ridley-Thomas said, adding that sheriff’s investigators could revisit the matter "if something else surfaces.”]

-- Molly Hennessy-Fiske

Full coverage: Michael Jackson's Life and Death

Interactive timeline: Michael Jackson | 1958-2009

Video Q&A: Times reporters on Michael Jackson's death

Michael Jackson's brother says media choppers disrupted burial service

One of Michael Jackson's brothers complained that media helicopters disrupted the pop star's burial service at Forest Lawn cemetery in Glendale on Thursday.

"I was dismayed last night and again today at the coverage I saw on television of our ceremony for Michael," Randy Jackson said in a statement. "We had asked the media to respect the privacy and the sanctity of this event; to give us one moment of privacy to mourn as a family out of the public spotlight. Unfortunately, despite a no-fly zone around Forest Lawn, many media organizations decided to ignore our wishes. They employed helicopters that not only surreptitiously recorded our private family ceremony, but also severely disrupted it".

About 200 of Michael Jackson's relatives and friends attended the burial.

Michael Jackson is finally interred

Michael Jackson was finally interred in a crypt in Forest Lawn Memorial-Park in Glendale shortly before 10 tonight -- exactly 10 weeks after he was found dead. The outdoor service, which was scheduled for sunset but crept into the night, was attended by about 200 family members and close friends. 

Jackson’s five brothers, who served as pallbearers, filed past a portrait of a smiling Michael as they arrived at the service. A bespectacled Paris, the singer's young daughter, wearing a dark dress and her long hair pulled back in a ponytail, watched soberly. 

Jackson’s three children placed a crown on their father’s coffin, a nod to the King of Pop, as the service began. Gladys Knight sang the gospel hymn “His Eye is on the Sparrow,” and songwriter Clifton Davis crooned a song that he wrote for the Jackson 5 that became one of their signature tunes -- “Never Can Say Goodbye.”

The guests gathered in a tree-lined clearing near the Great Mausoleum where Jackson was interred. A stage was adorned with white lilies, white roses and green topiaries.

Among the mourners were many of the touchstones of his life: music producer Quincy Jones, Motown Records founder Berry Gordy and music executive Suzanne de Passe.

Also attending were Elizabeth Taylor; former child star Macaulay Culkin; lawyer Thomas A. Mesereau Jr., who successfully defended Jackson from child molestation charges; and choreographer-director Kenny Ortega, who was working on Jackson’s planned London shows. The Rev. Jesse Jackson, the Rev. Al Sharpton, former child actor Corey Feldman, Lisa Marie Presley -- Jackson’s former wife -- Marlon Brando’s son Miko and comic Chris Tucker were among the guests.

-- Chris Lee and Carla Hall

Jackson burial service begins as night falls

What had been scheduled to be a sunset service for Michael Jackson at Forest Lawn Memorial-Park in Glendale became a nighttime gathering when Jackson's family got off to a late start leaving their Encino compound this evening.

As about 200 friends waited, the Jackson family, ferried into the park in a fleet of 26 vehicles, took their places in the front rows of white folding chairs set up outside in the tree-dappled, verdant cemetery park.

The Jackson brothers in black suits and red ties filed past a portrait of Michael, a confident smile on his face. His children took their places as well.  A bespectacled Paris Jackson, his young daughter, in a dark dress, her long hair pulled back in a pony tail, watched as other family members took their seats.

Under a tight cordon of security, they had all gathered for the final leg of the pop singer's odyssey from death to interment on a hot night exactly 10 weeks after he was found dead.

Among the mourners were many of the touchstones of his life: Elizabeth Taylor — who arrived in a Maybach; former child star actor Macaulay Culkin; lawyer Thomas A. Mesereau, who successfully defended Jackson from sexual abuse charges; and choreographer Kenny Ortega, who was working on Jackson’s final tour show. The Rev. Jesse Jackson, the Rev. Al Sharpton, former child actor Corey Haim, baseball player Barry Bonds, Marlon Brando’s son Miko and comic Chris Tucker also were there.

As dusk turned to night, a Halloween-orange moon hung in the sky, appropriate for the pop singer whose spooky “Thriller” song and video is legendary in the annals of pop music.

Glendale police blocked off streets around the 300-acre cemetery, and the sprinkling of fans who showed up were relegated to standing behind barricades blocks away. A dozen fans held up a banner reading “King of Pop Michael Jackson Gone Too Soon.”

Jackson is to be interred in a crypt in Holly Terrace, one of 11 halls in the Great Mausoleum, Forest Lawn’s vast granite-and-marble-filled palazzo that serves as the star-studded resting place of Clark Gable, Jean Harlow and other screen legends.

The outdoor service will move into Holly Terrace for a cryptside finale.

The Jackson estate is footing the bill for the service, which has been called by a lawyer for the estate “extraordinary” but worth paying. At least $125,000 will go to cover the Glendale Police Department’s and  Glendale city’s expenses — and that’s just a fraction of the costs associated with the service. The bulk of the expenses will go to Forest Lawn.

—Chris Lee and Carla Hall

Photo: Michael Jackson's brothers wore sunglasses and matching red ties to the pop singer's burial service at Forest Lawn Memorial-Park in Glendale.

Credit: Pool photo

Full coverage: Michael Jackson's Life and Death

Interactive timeline: Michael Jackson | 1958-2009

Video Q&A: Times reporters on Michael Jackson's death

Mourners begin arriving for Jackson burial service

Under a tight cordon of security, a steady stream of luxury cars ferried guests to Forest Lawn Memorial-Park in Glendale this evening for the final leg of pop singer Michael Jackson’s odyssey from death to burial.

Longtime Jackson friend Elizabeth Taylor, who was whisked through the 25-foot-high cemetery gates in a Maybach, was among an expected 200 guests at Jackson’s sunset burial service on a hot night exactly 10 weeks after he was found dead.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson, the Rev. Al Sharpton, actor Macaulay Culkin, baseball player Barry Bonds, comic Chris Tucker and lawyer Thomas A. Mesereau, who successfully defended Jackson on charges of sexual molestation four years ago, arrived to take their places on white chairs lined up for the outdoor service in the tree-dappled, verdant park.

Glendale police blocked off streets around the 300-acre cemetery, and the sprinkling of fans who showed up were relegated to standing behind barricades blocks away.  A dozen fans held up a banner reading “King of Pop Michael Jackson Gone Too Soon.”

Jackson is to be interred in a crypt in Holly Terrace, one of 11 halls in the Great Mausoleum, Forest Lawn’s vast granite-and-marble-filled palazzo that serves as the star-studded resting place of Clark Gable, Jean Harlow and other screen legends.

The outdoor service will move into Holly Terrace for a cryptside finale. 

The Jackson estate is footing the bill for the service, which has been called by a lawyer for the estate “extraordinary” but worth paying.  At least $120,000 will go to cover the Glendale Police Department’s expenses — and that’s just a fraction of the costs.  The bulk of the expenses will go to Forest Lawn.

—Chris Lee and Carla Hall

Global media gathering at Forest Lawn; police warn public against crashing Jackson's burial service

Media from around the world are gathering at the gates at Forest Lawn Memorial-Park in Glendale awaiting the beginning of Michael Jackson's burial service.

The Glendale Police Department also is out in force, blocking off streets and discouraging spectators from trying to get into the private service at 7 tonight.

Jackson will be interred in the expansive cemetery's Great Mausoleum. The pop singer's remains will be placed in a crypt in the Holly Terrace section of the mausoleum, a massive building that is the final resting place for stars from film's golden age, such as Clark Gable, Jean Harlow and Carole Lombard.

Family and friends gather tonight for Michael Jackson burial in Glendale

Friends and family will converge on Forest Lawn Memorial-Park in Glendale this evening for the burial of Michael Jackson.

Authorities will be out in force for the funeral, though they don't expect huge crowds of spectators. The funeral begins at 7 p.m.

Jackson will be interred in the expansive cemetery's Great Mausoleum. The pop singer's remains will be placed in a crypt in the Holly Terrace section of the mausoleum, a massive building that is the final resting place for stars from film's golden age, such as Jean Harlow, Carole Lombard and Clark Gable.

The burial caps months of rumors about where he would be laid to rest. One report had his body stored in a crypt owned by Motown founder Berry Gordy Jr., and there was widespread speculation that an elaborate grave -- and ultimately, a Graceland-style museum -- would be constructed at the entertainer's Neverland Ranch in Santa Barbara County.

Michael Jackson's estate to pay funeral costs [Updated]

Michael Jackson's estate will be paying the undisclosed expenses for the singer's funeral Thursday -- a sum one attorney called "extraordinary."

Probate Judge Mitchell Beckloff approved the payment at a hearing this morning in downtown Los Angeles after an attorney for the estate's administrators, John Branca and John McClain, assured him that the estate has enough cash to cover the expenses and that paying for the funeral will not affect its solvency.

"The expenses are extraordinary; however, Michael Jackson is extraordinary," said attorney Jeryll S. Cohen, who told the judge the administrators did not object to the expenses. "They may not be appropriate for an ordinary person, but Michael Jackson was not ordinary."

Attorneys for the singer's mother filed papers under seal late Tuesday asking that the estate foot the bill for the funeral she has planned. Burt Levitch, Katherine Jackson's attorney, said outside court that he did not find the expenses extraordinary.

State attorney general joins probe of Michael Jackson's doctors [Updated]

California Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown, at the request of the Los Angeles Police Department, has joined the investigation into several doctors who treated singer Michael Jackson before his death. 

Brown's investigators will work with the LAPD, Drug Enforcement Administration and the L.A. County coroner’s office in probing Jackson’s June 25 death, which the coroner has ruled was a homicide due to acute intoxication from the anesthetic propofol.

"Responding to a request from the LAPD, agents from my office will investigate several physicians whose names have come up in the course of the Michael Jackson death inquiry," Brown said. "This investigation is at its earliest stages, and no conclusions can be drawn at this point." 

LAPD officials met with the attorney general's Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement and the DEA last week, Brown said. The LAPD will remain the primary agency in the investigation.

Brown's office maintains a prescription drug monitoring system, which is designed to identify and deter drug abuse and diversion through rapid tracking of controlled substances.

[Updated 3:41 p.m.: In an interview with The Times, Brown declined to name the doctors or provide any additional details, only saying that it’s “not a large number” and that their names have all arisen in direct connection with Jackson.

In search warrants, police have cited Jackson’s use of pseudonyms, a practice that could prove problematic for his doctors, Brown said.

“You’re supposed to prescribe in the name of the patient,” Brown said. “We know the law says you’re not supposed to [use pseudonyms]....We want to monitor to make sure that there isn’t an abuse of drugs. Drugs are dangerous. They’re chemicals … they have impact and the impact can be lethal.”

Each prescription must be linked to a diagnosis of a medical problem, Brown said. “There are a number of rules on the ethical standards of how doctors should operate.”

Brown said it is too soon to say whether the doctors will face criminal charges or lesser administrative fines or penalties. ]

--Richard Winton and Kimi Yoshino

Michael Jackson died of 'acute propofol intoxication,' coroner says [Updated]

The Los Angeles County coroner's office officially ruled the death of Michael Jackson a homicide and said he died of "acute propofol intoxication."

According to a statement from the coroner: The "manner of death has been ruled homicide. Cause of death was established as acute propofol intoxication. Other conditions contributing to death: benzodiazepine. The drugs propofol and lorazepam were found to be the primary drugs responsible for Mr. Jackson’s death. Other drugs detected were midazolam, diazepam, lidocaine, and ephedrine. The final coroner’s report includes a complete toxicology report that will remain on security hold at the request of the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office."

Homicide refers to a death at the hand of another person, but does not necessarily translate to criminal charges. In court papers, the Los Angeles Police Department has identified Dr. Conrad Murray, Jackson's personal physician at the time of his death, as the target of a manslaughter investigation.

Sources familiar with the multiagency investigation have stressed that a manslaughter prosecution is not inevitable, given Jackson’s history of drug use, health problems and other challenges in the case.

According to an affidavit unsealed in Houston last week, Murray told police that Jackson spent his last hours pleading for a dose of a powerful anesthetic.

Murray said he resisted -- fearful that the pop star had developed a dangerous addiction to propofol. Instead, Murray administered the sedatives Valium, lorazepam and midazolam -- five times over six hours. But none put Jackson to sleep and he continued to demand his "milk," the word the doctor said the pop star used for propofol.

Murray said he finally relented and at 10:40 a.m. added the drug to Jackson's intravenous drip, according to the records. That dose -- mixed with the cocktail of other sedatives in the pop star's system -- was enough to kill him, the coroner's office concluded in a preliminary toxicology report, according to the court records.

Authorities have sought records from at least five physicians who treated Jackson as well as pharmacies in Las Vegas and Beverly Hills, but Murray is the only doctor named in court documents as the target of the manslaughter investigation.

Jackson had specifically asked concert promoter AEG Live to hire Murray as his $150,000-a-month physician to travel with him to London, where he was scheduled to perform 50 concerts.

[Corrected at 5:10 p.m.: An earlier version of this post stated that the L.A. County coroner’s office concluded that a dose of the drug propofol administered to Jackson by Dr. Conrad Murray contributed to his death. An affidavit filed by the Los Angeles Police Department stated that Murray gave Jackson propofol shortly before he died. But the coroner’s report said only that Jackson died of "lethal levels" of propofol and did not specify who gave him the dose.]

-- Richard Winton at the Los Angeles County coroner's office, Harriet Ryan and Andrew Blankstein

 

Jackson's dermatologist allegedly self-prescribed drugs

Michael Jackson’s friend and dermatologist, Arnold Klein, allegedly prescribed drugs to himself 27 times over a nearly three-year period, according to a federal search warrant and affidavit released Thursday.

A Drug Enforcement Administration agent obtained the warrant last week to search Mickey Fine Pharmacy in Beverly Hills, based on state drug-tracking reports that showed instances between March 2006 and May 2009 in which Klein prescribed Valium, Vicodin, the sedative midazolam, and modafinil, a drug used to improve wakefulness or treat narcolepsy. 

Klein introduced Jackson to nurse Debbie Rowe, the pop star’s ex-wife and the mother of two of his three children.

Prescribing, administering or furnishing a controlled substance to oneself is a violation of the California Health and Safety code, experts said. If the allegations are proved, the DEA could strip Klein of his ability to prescribe medication, said Special Agent Jose Martinez, a DEA spokesman. Klein also could lose his medical license and face criminal charges, Martinez said.

Klein’s attorney, Garo Ghazarian, declined to comment on the matter until he had reviewed the documents, but told the DEA that Klein “has never self-prescribed,” according to the affidavit.  In addition to Klein, several other doctors also had self-prescribed medication using Mickey Fine Pharmacy, according to court records.

The owners of Mickey Fine Pharmacy could not be reached for comment. The pharmacy was often used by Jackson, court records show. In 2005, the pop star ran up a $101,000 drug bill at the Roxbury Drive store, which he paid only after the pharmacy filed a lawsuit.

--Kimi Yoshino and Harriet Ryan

Photo: Arnold Klein in 2007.

Credit: Tammie Arroyo / Associated Press

Law enforcement sources dispute warrant's claims of heroin being found at Jackson's home [Updated]

Tar heroin and marijuana were found in Michael Jackson’s house, according to newly released search warrants.

[Updated 3:40 p.m.: But two sources familiar with the investigation told The Times that authorities tested the substance believed to be heroin and the tests came back negative.

The sources -- who spoke on the condition that they not be named because it was an ongoing investigation -- also said that heroin was not present in Jackson’s system. 

It is unclear how the heroin reference made it into the warrant, which was issued last week.]

The search warrant claimed that the "heroin" was found in his bedroom, an area that authorities said in the court papers was off-limits to anyone but Jackson and his children. The marijuana was found later in an unspecified area of the house.

According to the search warrant, written by LAPD Det. Orlando Martinez, family members found the heroin after Jackson's death and alerted the coroner's office. Authorities then searched the house and found two baggies of marijuana, according to the court papers.

According to earlier court papers, Jackson died of a lethal dose of propofol, an anesthetic. His doctor, Conrad Murray, told detectives in an interview that he gave Jackson a small dose of the drug soon before he died June 25.

The Los Angeles Police Department's probe into Jackson's death is looking at whether others should face criminal charges.

--Harriet Ryan

Photo: Michael Jackson in 2005.

Credit: Michael A. Mariant / Associated Press

Drug amounts in Michael Jackson death probe don't add up, medical experts say

If Michael Jackson died from lethal levels of the powerful anesthetic propofol, then his personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, would have had to inject much more of the drug than he reportedly told police, medical experts said.

That opinion is based on court records unsealed in Houston on Monday in which Los Angeles police detectives recount Murray's statement, taken in a three-hour interview two days after the pop star's death.

According to the records, Murray told them that he had been giving Jackson 50 milligrams of propofol each night over a six-week period. Murray told police that he had been trying to wean Jackson off the powerful anesthetic and, on the night of his death, gave him a combination of other sedatives -- until finally succumbing to Jackson's repeated demands for propofol.

According to the documents, Murray then gave Jackson 25 milligrams of propofol. But those amounts -- 25 and 50 milligrams -- are far below the dosage required to anesthesize someone and keep them asleep, several experts said.

"It doesn't make any sense," said Dr. John Dombrowski, a member of the American Society of Anesthesiologists. "I cannot believe that was the number that was given. Such a small amount won't tip anyone over in terms of respiratory depression. ... If that's what his testimony is, I don't believe it."

Two Jackson employees want to tell police what they know about his death

Two Michael Jackson employees -- including one who was with the pop star when he was stricken -- have important information about the case and should be extensively interviewed by Los Angeles Police Department detectives, their attorney said Tuesday.

Carl Douglas, perhaps best known for being a member of O.J. Simpson's defense team, said that LAPD detectives have done only "informal" interviews with his clients and that they were eager to provide more information. One of the interviews lasted about two minutes and the other filled a one-page transcript, Douglas said.

Some of their information could shed new light on the timeline police have established covering Jackson's final hours and the actions of his doctor, Douglas said.

"We arranged two separate occasions for LAPD investigators to meet with my clients. My clients came early wearing suits and ties. The first meeting was canceled and rescheduled. The second meeting I had to call them to inquire about the [detectives'] absence," he added.

LAPD Deputy Chief Charlie Beck refused to respond to Douglas' charges, saying that the department would not comment on any aspects of an ongoing investigation.

'Lethal levels' of anesthetic propofol killed Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson died of "lethal levels" of the powerful anesthetic propofol, according to a search warrant affidavit unsealed today in Houston.

The court documents quote the L.A. County coroner's office as reaching that conclusion after an autopsy of the pop star.

The documents address one of the major unanswered questions surrounding Jackson's death. But they also raise new questions about how Jackson was treated, particularly in the hours before his death.

Conrad Murray, Jackson's personal doctor, told detectives with the Los Angeles Police Department that he had been treating Jackson for insomnia for about six weeks. He had been giving Jackson 50 milligrams of propofol every night using an intravenous line, according to the court records.

But Murray told detectives that he feared Jackson was forming an addiction and began trying to wean the pop star off the drugs. He lowered the dosage to 25 milligrams and mixed it with two other sedatives, lorazepam and midazolam. On June 23, two days before Jackson's death, he administered those two medications and withheld the propofol.