Coroner's Office Cleared in Leak of Jackson Death Certificate

Sheriff's department says no signs of criminal wrongdoing despite unauthorized access of singer's file

By Megan Masters Sep 11, 2009 10:45 PMTags
Michael JacksonPool photographer/Getty Images

Finally, some goodish news on the Michael Jackson death front.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has wrapped its two-month investigation into whether the coroner's office leaked or sold information surrounding Jackson's death.

"We didn't find any criminal wrongdoing," sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore told the Los Angeles Times on Friday.

The inquiry began after the Times ran a July 25 article reporting that the King of Pop's death certificate had been viewed more than 300 times by half a dozen coroner employees unattached to the investigation.

The sheriff's internal investigation bureau determined that no criminal actions occurred after doing "their due diligence," interviewing staff and consulting with the district attorney's office.

Criminal charges aside, departmental policies may have been violated, and  Chief Coroner's Investigator Craig Harvey has said that employees received the allotted discipline: a warning.

(Originally published on Sept. 11 at 3:13 p.m. PT)

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