The mother of Mel Gibson's love child set out to purposely "shake him down for money", it was claimed by another former lover of the film superstar.
Speaking exclusively to The Mail on Sunday, Violet Kowal, 27, alleges that Oksana Grigorieva planned to "extort millions" from Gibson soon after their break-up in April and that she was invited to join in the plot.
Polish-born model Kowal, who had a five-month affair with Gibson while Grigorieva was pregnant with his child, said: "Oksana wanted to destroy Mel ... I never thought I'd feel sorry for Mel, but I do."
Kowal has told Los Angeles police that Grigorieva's bodyguard offered to reward her for evidence that would help Grigorieva's case against Gibson, 54. Grigorieva claims he was repeatedly verbally and physically violent to her and threatened to kill her, and in June she obtained a restraining order against Gibson. He denies her claims and alleges she attempted to extort money using tapes of phone conversations. A police investigation is ongoing.
Kowal and Gibson met on eight occasions between July and November 2009. The affair ended a few weeks after Russian pianist Grigorieva, 40, gave birth to Lucia, Gibson's eighth child, last October.
Kowal claims Gibson exploded in rage when she told him she was going to go public about the affair in US tabloid The National Enquirer. But she said: "He never showed any physical violence towards me." She says on August 12 a man who described himself as Grigorieva's bodyguard, Kris Herzog, called her to request a meeting 'to discuss a few things'.
Unsolved
She went with her bodyguard Nikko Riley to meet Herzog and a companion, who identified himself as "Shoull", at the Beverly Hill Hotel Polo Lounge bar. Kowal said: "They started talking about unsolved murders in Hollywood and how well-connected they were and how they have cops on their payroll. They were talking about the shotgun they had in the car."
She says Herzog, who last year went to jail for 255 days after being found guilty of impersonating a police officer, asked for her phone records, saying he represented Grigorieva.
"He said he knew Mel had been verbally abusive on the phone. If I told that story to investigators and ‘made it even better' I'd be rewarded."
