Could Sacha Baron Cohen Face Criminal Charges for Ashing Ryan Seacrest?!

One's man prank could be another man's criminal battery charge...

By Natalie Finn, Ken Baker Feb 27, 2012 1:51 AMTags
E! Placeholder Image

Sacha Baron Cohen is lucky that Ryan Seacrest is such a good sport.

E!'s Live From the Red Carpet cohost could theoretically press charges against the actor for the little stunt he pulled on the Oscars carpet tonight.

Remember when Cohen, dressed as Admiral-General Aladeen from his latest film, spilled Kim Jong Il's ashes all over the tuxedoed Seacrest? Well, in the eyes of the law (the real law, Aladeen), that's criminal battery!

What did Seacrest, once he had toweled off, have to say about it?

"I've still got the giggles. It's the best thing I've ever seen!" laughed Kelly Osbourne after the interview portion of the evening was over.

"Have you never seen that before?!" quipped Seacrest.

"Let me walk you through how this all came together," he explained. "I had heard that the Dictator wanted to come and wanted to do an interview and wanted to do it in character. Very deliberate, all of this."

Well, that's good for Cohen, because criminal defense expert Troy Slaten tells E! News that the actor could be charged with criminal battery whether Seacrest wants him prosecuted or not.

"Unless it was planned," Slaten added.

Well, it was and it wasn't.

"In the back of my mind, I thought, 'OK, there's no way a conversation with him in character is going to go as planned,' " Seacrest continued. "As we were talking, I could just feel that something was about to happen, and sure enough it did. But I had two jackets. I was red-carpet ready!"

(That little bit of preparedness comes courtesy of Mama Seacrest: "My mom always told me to pack two jackets for red carpets, always wondered why. Now I know," Ryan tweeted.)

Well, at least now Obama probably doesn't have to get into a political showdown over whether we should try the leader of the Republic of Wadiya in federal court or by military tribunal.

If convicted of one count of misdemeanor battery, Cohen would face up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine. "The Dictator would not have diplomatic immunity here." Slaten quipped.

And you thought Aladeen hated the West before!