Tonight on Access Hollywood: A Hedge Fund Scandal?

It was only a matter of time. With the death of hedge fund manager Seth Tobias, who was found floating face down in the swimming pool of his Jupiter, Fla. mansion in September, and the subsequent allegations by his four brothers and a former associate accusing Tobias' wife of drugging her husband with cocaine and luring him into the pool, tabloid has met high finance.

If you need confirmation, just look at the latest character to enter the case: Debra Opri, a Beverly Hills lawyer best known for representing Larry Birkhead in the Anna Nicole Smith paternity case. Other clients include Pamela Bach-Hasselhoff, the ex-wife of Baywatch star David Hasselhoff.

This time around, Opri is representing Bill Ash, a self-proclaimed former assistant to Tobias, who claims that Tobias' wife, Filomena, confessed that she got her husband into the pool while he was high on coke by promising him a dance with Tiger, a male go-go dancer.

In a statement released Tuesday, Opri reportedly said, "Mr. Ash has indicated his foremost objective at this time is to continue fulfilling his obligations to the police in order that the investigation may proceed," and that her client believes the toxicology reports will determine "significantly high levels of alcohol, cocaine, Ambien prescription sleeping medication and other additional drugs."

But let's get back to Opri, shall we? Take a gander at the website of Debra Opri & Associates and you will see it is all about Debra, all the time. There are links to publicity shots of Opri, to reels of her many appearances as a legal analyst on CNN and the like, and for contact information, there's a phone number to call case you want to reach her agent, Babette Perry, of IMG Media in Los Angeles.

Opri has also represented Joseph and Katherine Jackson, the parents of singer Michael Jackson, and are press shots showing a glimpse of her with Jackson, in all his glory.

Ash told the New York Times that he had a tape of the confession, but would not provide the tape.

Surely, the Tobias case is headed for Page Six and the bookers from Nancy Grace's CNN Headlines News show will be on the line to Opri's agents at IMG.

by Karen Donovan

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