Jackson Investigators Connecting Drugs to Docs

Officials pay visit to dermatologist to check on subpoena

By MICHAEL HOROWICZ and HASANI GITTENS

Updated 7:20 AM PST, Mon, Jul 20, 2009

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They're getting closer.

Federal drug enforcement officials have contacted the maker of the powerful anesthetic propofol as part of their investigation into Michael Jackson's death.

A spokeswoman for Teva Pharmaceuticals says the Drug Enforcement Administration asked the company about a specific batch of the drug.

Teva spokeswoman Denise Bradley says the DEA asked about a different batch of the drug than what the company recalled. Propofol is the generic version of Diprivan. The anesthetic normally used in hospitals was found in Jackson's home after his death June 25.

TMZ reports that the LAPD is trying to track which of Jackson's numerous doctors may have given him the drug, and that they can track it though the batch numbers.

The gossip site also says that law enforcement officials are eyeing Conrad Murray, the doctor who was present during the pop singer's death. TMZ sources say that the LAPD has "plenty of powerful evidence" linking Murray to Jackson's death.

Meanwhile an official from the L.A. County Coroner's office made a surprise visit to the Beverly Hills office of Michael Jackson's dermatologist, Dr. Arnold Klein Tuesday afternoon to inquire about a subpoena demanding additional medical records.

Assistant Chief Coroner, Dr. Ed Winter, and Klein's attorney told NBC News correspondent Jeff Rossen that Dr. Klein is fully cooperating with the investigation.

Klein's attorney, Richard Charnley, said in a statement that his client will provide the documents Wednesday.

Craig Harvey, the coroner's chief of operations, would not specify what records were being sought.

Klein treated Jackson for acne for several years, and it was Klein's nurse, Debbie Rowe, who married Jackson and gave birth to two of his children.

Some reports out shortly after the King of Pop's death even fingered Klein as the true father of Jackson's eldest two children.

Meanwhile, Rowe's attorney strongly denied a published report today that his client has agreed to give up any parental rights to the children in exchange for $4 million.

"Completely false," attorney Eric George wrote in an e-mail responding to the report in the New York Post.

The newspaper quoted an unnamed "disgusted Jackson confidant" as saying that Rowe was in line for "one final payday."

The source told the paper that the Jackson family isn't happy about the mega-payout -- which was set to be sealed in Los Angeles Monday afternoon -- but they consider it a necessary evil.

"They felt it was like a ransom-type thing," as Rowe "jumped back into the picture because she wanted money," according to The Post's source.

George sent a letter to the New York Post today demanding a retraction.

"Among the several contenders for overzealous and inaccurate sensationalism, the New York Post has now seized top honors," George wrote in the letter, which was obtained by TMZ.com. "It would be easier to identify those few background facts that are accurate than to catalog the number of blatant falsehoods in your story."

A spokesman for the New York Post said the paper had no immediate comment on the retraction demand.