Sacha Baron Cohen may face criminal charges for ashing Ryan Seacrest at Academy Awards 2012. 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. Cohen, dressed as Admiral-General Aladeen from his latest film, spilled Kim Jong II’s ashes all over the tuxedoed Seacrest?

Well, in the eyes of the law (the real law, Aladeen), that’s criminal battery! So what did Seacrest say once he had toweled off?

“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.)

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. Follow us on Facebook by clicking here.

Tagged: , ,