Ali G star Sacha Baron Cohen paid disgraced actor OJ Simpson £15,000 to appear in a prank for the comedian’s next film, according to a source close to the production.

A source told The Mail on Sunday that Baron Cohen wore a curly dark wig and black, thick-rimmed glasses to meet Simpson in a Las Vegas hotel room. The source said: ‘OJ would not even get in the hotel room until he was paid a sackload of cash. There was no way Sacha could have got OJ into the room without paying money.’

Simpson was acquitted of the murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman in a 1995 criminal trial, only to be found liable for their deaths in a 1997 civil case.

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Ali G star Sacha Baron Cohen paid disgraced actor OJ Simpson £15,000 to appear in a prank for the comedian’s next film, according to a source close to the production

The revelation that Baron Cohen paid Simpson a reputed £15,000 – or $20,000 – has sparked outrage from the families of his victims, who Simpson still owes around £50 million ($70 million) from the civil suit.

Nicole Brown’s sister Tanya said last night: ‘Nicole and Ron are two human beings who were brutally murdered. This is not a joke nor is it entertainment. If Sacha makes this a comedic effort his victims will be personified as a joke.

‘Shame on him.’

Last night Goldman family lawyer David Cook said: ‘If money changed hands then all of the money paid should go to Ron’s father Fred. There is a legal and moral imperative here.’

The Mail on Sunday approached Simpson on Friday as he enjoyed a leisurely two-hour lunch with friends at the Grape Street wine bar in Summerlin, Las Vegas, near to the £1.5 million mansion in a gated community which is being loaned to him by a businessman friend.

Simpson was acquitted of the murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman in a 1995 criminal trial, only to be found liable for their deaths in a 1997 civil case

Simpson admitted knowing Baron Cohen, saying: ‘I know him well. I met him. Nice guy.’ But he refused to confirm whether he was paid a fee.

Simpson was released from jail in October last year.

He had served nine years for armed robbery after raiding a Vegas hotel room seeking to get back memorabilia he claimed was his.

Baron Cohen, 46, declined to respond to repeated requests for comment. The London-born comic is notoriously secretive when working on new projects.

Last night a woman who answered the door at the magnificent £18 million mansion he shares with wife, Australian actress Isla Fisher, and their two children, said he was ‘not home'.