STATEMENT OF ATTORNEY THOMAS A. MESEREAU, JR.
Mood:  happy

Friday, September 17, 2004

Regretfully, we are compelled to vigorously respond to numerous and false statements being made about Mr. Michael Jackson.

Michael Jackson was recognized as a musical genius as a child. His life and development were devoted to cultivating his musical talents and extraordinary gifts. Discipline, hard work, and a desire to heal and better this world through his creativity were emphasized throughout his youth.

It was recognized very early that Michael Jackson?s musical talent and genius could generate many millions of dollars to him and others around him. From the time he was a little boy, others have sought to exploit and take advantage of his creative talent and inherent goodness.

Mr. Jackson has donated large sums of money around the world to foster the interests and welfare of our world?s children. Early in his life, he learned and believed that while others sought to exploit and take advantage of his vulnerabilities and idealism, children did not.

Believing that children are the true example of God?s beauty, innocence and purity, Michael has devoted much of his life to helping the world?s children. He has donated millions of dollars to healing children with disease, helping children with AIDS, and traveling the world to emphasize the importance and welfare of our children. He would never harm a child.

Mr. Jackson has been a target of frivolous lawsuits throughout his career. To date, well over a thousand ridiculous lawsuits have been filed or threatened against Mr. Jackson for all kinds of reasons by those who sought to obtain money by exploiting his achievements and love for people. None of these claims involved allegations that he ever harmed a child. However, they involved, for the most part, creative and outrageous attempts to take money from Mr. Jackson. Throughout his career, Mr. Jackson?s desire to create and help our world has been subjected to efforts to exploit, undermine and take advantage of this wonderful human being.

Mr. Jackson has been repeatedly advised by those who stood to make fortunes in his business affairs to pay money, rather than face certain false allegations. As a result, many years ago, he did pay money, rather than litigate, two false allegations that he had harmed children. People who intended to earn millions of dollars from his record and music promotions did not want negative publicity from these lawsuits interfering with their profits.

These two false allegations must be placed in a proper perspective. Mr. Jackson has interacted with millions of children. Many millions of children around the world love Michael Jackson and never alleged that he harmed them in any way.

Those who wanted to profit from his good deeds and vulnerabilities were also threatening to destroy his ability to raise his own children and to champion the welfare, integrity, humanity and interests of children around the world. Michael Jackson occupies a world where his privacy is continually violated.

Michael Jackson now regrets making these payments. Nevertheless, these efforts to settle are now being used against him regardless of the merits or the truth behind them. These settlements were entered into with one primary condition. That condition was that Mr. Jackson never admitted any wrongdoing. Mr. Jackson always denied doing anything wrong.

Mr. Jackson had hoped to buy peace in the process. He was advised that while these sums of money appeared large, they were actually very small compared to money he could make in music. Mr. Jackson has earned well over one billion dollars in his career. Placed in this perspective, they were very small sums, indeed.

Greed begets greed. Mr. Jackson now realizes that the advice he received was wrong. He should have fought these actions to the bitter end and vindicated himself. The recent publicity about these settlements is unfair and damaging to him, his family and his dedication to the world?s children. The false charges he is facing will be battled in a court of law within our justice system. He is innocent and will be vindicated.


Thomas A. Mesereau, Jr.

Jackson hearing tense as accuser's mother testifies
Mood:  cool

By STEVE CHAWKINS
Los Angeles Times

9/18/2004


SANTA MARIA, Calif. - The mother of Michael Jackson's young accuser testified at the pop entertainer's pretrial hearing Friday amid defense suggestions that she is a greed-driven opportunist and chronic liar.
Although the woman known in court as Jane Doe was subpoenaed to testify only on a dry, evidentiary issue, her appearance in the packed courtroom made for high drama.

Twenty feet away from the witness stand in Santa Maria Superior Court, Jackson sat at the defense table, staring at the 36-year-old woman in her black jacket and simple white blouse. He was clad in a resplendent ivory three-piece suit and decked with glittering watch chains. Six of his siblings, also dressed in white, occupied the courtroom's first two rows.

Jackson and Doe said nothing to each other. It had been more than two years since she and her family had stayed at his palatial Neverland estate, where she now says they were held captive and her son was molested.

Doe blessed herself with the sign of the cross before taking the stand. At each break, she propped her head on her hands and prayed.

If she sought guidance, she needed it to withstand a two-hour grilling by defense attorney Tom Mesereau. At times, she appeared evasive, suspicious and forgetful.

Unable to recall the length of a recent meeting at her home with a prosecutor, she sighed deeply and explained to Mesereau: "I do a lot of staying up at night . . .."

Asked other questions, she stroked her chin, wrinkled her brow, shut her eyes and craned her head before answering. Mesereau asked if it were true that she couldn't remember her age when she testified before the grand jury, but prosecutors successfully objected.

The defense has made Doe's credibility a crucial issue in the case against Jackson. They contend Doe saw the chance to rake in a fortune by fabricating the accusations about her son, a recovering cancer patient who was 12 at the time of the visit. Prosecutors say Jackson, who has pleaded not guilty, is a merciless predator.

At issue Friday was whether Doe told Santa Barbara County prosecutors that Bradley Miller, a Beverly Hills private investigator, worked for Jackson's former attorney, Mark Geragos. Police seized tapes and documents during a search of Miller's office in November. Jackson's attorneys contend that using those items in court would violate attorney-client confidentiality.

Doe said she knew of Miller only as a member of Jackson's security team, despite a tape-recorded interview she did with him in February 2003. Made shortly after the devastating British TV documentary on Jackson's life, the tape begins with Miller identifying himself as "a licensed private investigator working for Geragos & Geragos, specifically for Mark Geragos, who is a lawyer for Michael Jackson."

Doe seemed to deny the accuracy of the transcript. After further questioning, she backpedaled. "I don't remember," she said. "Now I know who Mark Geragos is. Then it didn't mean nothing to me."

Doe repeatedly asked Mesereau to rephrase his questions, saying they were confusing. Asked if she knew the hearing's purpose, she replied: "Just to bring more torture on me and my children."

Clearly exasperated at times, Mesereau failed to get any admissions from Doe about the relationship between Geragos and Miller. Even so, he managed to make damaging points that strayed far from the hearing's ostensible purpose.

Although Superior Court Judge Rodney S. Melville cut him off, he asked Doe about previous litigation, including charging J.C. Penney with false imprisonment and her ex-husband with abusing one of her children.

Michael's Courtroom Face Off
Mood:  energetic

September 17, 2004

The world-famous pop star MICHAEL JACKSON, who's facing child molestation charges, arrived in a Santa Maria court Friday to face off against the mother of the boy who is accusing him.

Shortly after the proceedings concluded at noon, Jackson attorney THOMAS MESEREAU made a statement -- with the Jackson family behind him -- addressing previous settlements the pop star had made with other accusers. He also said, "The charges [Jackson] faces are false and will be battled in a court of law within our justice system. He is innocent and will be vindicated."

In the morning, the accuser's mother took the stand to undergo a series of questions about whether or not she knew private investigator BRADLEY MILLER was an employee of Jackson's former attorney MARK GERAGOS when his office was searched by prosecutors and law enforcement. She testified that she did not remember if he told her he worked for Jackson, but she did believe he worked for the singer. She also answered questions about her and her family's alleged, false imprisonment at Jackson's Neverland ranch.

According to an ET source, the mother was described as evasive and nervous, and at one point she stopped cold in her testimony because she thought she heard whispering in the Jackson camp that was sitting right in front of her, and said that the whispering was throwing her off. When asked if she knew what the purpose of the hearings were, the mother of the accuser said that the purpose was just to bring more torture to her and her children. This is also the first time the accuser's mother has come face to face with Jackson's mother. Incidentally, there was a paramedic in the courtroom in case of emergency.

Like the most recent hearing, Michael and his family members, including brother JERMAINE and sisters JANET and LaTOYA JACKSON, arrived to the proceedings wearing all white.

On Thursday, the defense argued that the items taken in the search of the office, as well as Neverland Ranch, including a calendar, computers and tapes, should not be allowed into evidence because they were taken improperly and that the office should have never been searched due to the attorney-client privilege of confidentiality.

Jackson is not required to attend the court hearing, but in August also appeared in court when Santa Barbara District Attorney TOM SNEDDON testified.

In April, Jackson was booked on a 10-count indictment and charged with committing lewd acts on a child, attempting a lewd act and administering an intoxicating agent. He is free on $3 million bail and has pleaded innocent to all of the charges. His trial is scheduled to begin in January.

For the latest on the Jackson case, check out tonight's ET!

Uncle of Ex-Jackson Accuser Tells All
Mood:  loud
Topic: Prosecutor Press Release

Mon Sep 13, 5:20 PM ET

By Josh Grossberg

For those following the soap opera that is Michael Jackson (news)'s child molestation case, here's another thriller for you?new revelations about his 1993 molestation probe.


The boy who accused the popster of sexually assaulting him more than a decade ago still refers to Jackson as "the Devil in God's clothes," according to his uncle.


In an exclusive interview with NBC's Dateline to promote his new tell-all tome, All That Glitters: The Crime and the Cover-up, Ray Chandler disclosed details about the Gloved One's alleged seduction of his nephew, including why the family refused to bring molestation charges and opted for a multimillion-dollar payout.


The uncle, who had no part of the estimated $20 million settlement, played audiotapes he made with the boy's father that paint a disturbing portrait of Jackson at the time of the scandal.


In the recordings, made by Chandler with his older brother's knowledge and made available to Dateline's producers, the father is heard expressing sympathy for the then 35-year-old King of Pop, believing the relationship he struck up with his 13-year-old son in the fall of 1992 was strictly platonic.


"He's childlike. He's a child. Nothing to fear," the father said on one tape. "You put that together with the way he looks...and you feel sorry for him, okay. And you know that he--this tells you that he grew up an intensely lonely person."


According to Dateline, the pair began spending more time together.


Jackson invited the boy to sleep over at his Neverland Ranch and the entertainer, in turn, would spend the night in the boy's bedroom at the suburban home where he lived with his mother. That was in addition to showering both mother and child with expensive gifts and sending them abroad on lavish all-expenses paid vacations.


The uncle said his brother realized the singer might have had other intentions after one day finding his son cuddling with Jackson in his bed with the star's hand resting above the sheets atop the boy's groin area.


Terrified and angry because he hadn't put a halt to their relationship, the father went to court to try and gain custody of the child from his ex-wife. It was during that legal skirmish that the boy reportedly admitted to his father that Jackson sexually abused him--including kissing, fondling, masturbation and oral sex--and warned him not to speak about it or the police would send him to jail.


The father eventually confronted the Moonwalker at a Los Angeles hotel, with the boy present in the room, but Jackson denied the molestation allegations. In another recording, the father described how his son's body language and Jackson's blase indifference belied those denials.


"[My son] was not different than a little fawn out in the woods at night that gets caught in the headlights," said the father. "You could see the fear in the eyes. Anybody could see that."


In the end, however, the boy's father didn't go to the police, because he feared the publicity that would envelop them should the allegations be made public. Instead, the boy ended up coming clean about the alleged abuse to a psychiatrist, who promptly notified the authorities, per California law.


Ultimately, Chandler said Jackson's superstar status blinded the parents to the point where they absconded from their parental responsibilities--while Jackson's own child-like demeanor helped him cover up any alleged misconduct.


The uncle told Dateline that the family did their best to bring charges against Jackson, but decided to drop the probe and agree to a multimillion-dollar settlement once it was clear authorities would not protect their anonymity.


Earlier this month, Dateline also reported that Jackson paid more than $2 million to the son of a onetime employee around the same time he settled with Chandler's nephew.


The music legend's camp declined to comment on the report.


At the time of the settlement, however, Jackson proclaimed his innocence and the rest was HIStory--at least until the latest allegations of child molestation surfaced against him.

As for his alleged victim, the unidentified boy is now 24 and has undergone extensive therapy. He recently graduated college and is dating.

As for Cahndler, he's no longer close with his brother because of an unrelated family rift. But he said he wrote the self-published book not to cash in but to get the facts about Michael out in the open as he sees them.

All That Glitters: The Crime and the Cover-Up is scheduled to hit bookstores on Tuesday.

Debbie Rowe is exclusively on the ET set!
Mood:  irritated
Topic: Prosecutor Press Release

Exclusive: Debbie Rowe Responds to Your Letters

September 17, 2004

This week on ET, we introduced audiences to the real DEBBIE ROWE behind the facade: we were invited exclusively into her $2 million, Beverly Hills mansion, met her beloved dogs and good friends -- and even accompanied her into the doctor's office for a cosmetic makeover!

Viewers from around the world expressed their support and concern for Debbie on ETonline. Now, MICHAEL JACKSON's former wife responds to your well wishes directly from the ET set on Stage 28 with MARY HART!

"It's nice to be able to say what I've wanted to say," Debbie tells Mary. "I really appreciate you guys doing it and thank you very much."

With reactions from viewers ranging as far as Sweden, Greece and even Serbia, people have been watching Debbie's struggle to create a new life for herself from all around the world and have responded to her story. The positive, encouraging response was incredible.

"Thank you very much, guys, it's very sweet," said a touched Debbie. "I don't see my life as being any different than anybody else in the sense that I have a home, and I'm very happy, and I have my pets, and I have my horses, and I have school, and I'm not unlike most people."

A woman who has been under constant media scrutiny ever since she married Jackson and gave him custody of their two children, PARIS and PRINCE MICHAEL, the former dermatology nurse is working hard to put the past behind her and live a life of normalcy. She's currently taking piano lessons and getting a degree in forensics along with a degree in psychology.

"I'm in transition; I'm changing," says Debbie. "I'm getting back into the horse business and I've got my school and I've got the dogs. Growing up, maybe. I don't know."

Earlier this week, we accompanied her as she received micro-dermabrasion, lash tinting, eyebrow and eyeliner tattooing and Thermage at the Woodglen Institute of Aesthetics in Glendora, CA. "I said yeah, bring it on," reports Debbie. "This procedure was great." But Debbie also has a few choice words on extreme makeovers.

"I don't like the extreme makeovers; I have a serious problem with those shows," she says. "I think they're dangerous. Everything that I've had done has been done over a course of four months, and it's very little, because a little bit at a time can make a big difference."

Watch ET for more with Debbie exclusively on the ET set!

Tape Shown of Former Jackson Accuser's Kin
Mood:  on fire
Topic: Prosecutor Press Release

Mon Sep 13, 8:19 AM ET


LOS ANGELES - Tapes of the father of a boy who accused Michael Jackson (news) of molestation in 1993 were played on the TV news magazine "Dateline," a decade after the singer reached a settlement with the boy that included an agreement not to discuss the case.


The boy's uncle played the recordings for NBC television's "Dateline," saying he made them around the time of the allegations. Authorities were investigating the allegations when the singer reached a settlement with his accuser, paying him a sum reported at $15 million to $20 million.


The alleged victim declined to cooperate with prosecutors, and no criminal charges were brought against Jackson at the time. The boy's uncle told "Dateline" that the family initially tried to help prosecutors bring charges, but stopped cooperating when authorities refused to place them in the witness protection program.


The father said on one recording that he initially thought Jackson was harmless, and even felt bad for him.


"He's childlike. He's a child. Nothing to fear. You put that together with the way he looks ... and you feel sorry for him. OK. And you know that he ? this tells you that he grew up an intensely lonely person."


The father eventually grew more suspicious of the singer.


The uncle said he is no longer close to his brother because of a disagreement unrelated to Jackson. He has written a self-published book about the allegations.


The uncle said he made the recordings with his brother's knowledge, but that his brother was not involved in writing the book.


Jackson did not admit misconduct at the time of the settlement but said that he was settling the case because of its potential to harm his career. He has said repeatedly that he would never harm a child.


Earlier this month, "Dateline" reported that Jackson also paid $2 million to the son of an employee at his Neverland Ranch in 1990 to avoid a child-molestation accusation.


Jackson's spokeswoman, Raymone K. Bain, declined to comment Sunday.


In the current molestation case against Jackson, which involves another boy, the 46-year-old pop star has pleaded not guilty to committing a lewd act upon a child, administering an intoxicating agent, alcohol, and conspiracy to commit child abduction, false imprisonment and extortion.

Tape Shown of Former Jackson Accuser's Kin
Mood:  on fire
Topic: Prosecutor Press Release

Mon Sep 13, 8:19 AM ET


LOS ANGELES - Tapes of the father of a boy who accused Michael Jackson (news) of molestation in 1993 were played on the TV news magazine "Dateline," a decade after the singer reached a settlement with the boy that included an agreement not to discuss the case.


The boy's uncle played the recordings for NBC television's "Dateline," saying he made them around the time of the allegations. Authorities were investigating the allegations when the singer reached a settlement with his accuser, paying him a sum reported at $15 million to $20 million.


The alleged victim declined to cooperate with prosecutors, and no criminal charges were brought against Jackson at the time. The boy's uncle told "Dateline" that the family initially tried to help prosecutors bring charges, but stopped cooperating when authorities refused to place them in the witness protection program.


The father said on one recording that he initially thought Jackson was harmless, and even felt bad for him.


"He's childlike. He's a child. Nothing to fear. You put that together with the way he looks ... and you feel sorry for him. OK. And you know that he ? this tells you that he grew up an intensely lonely person."


The father eventually grew more suspicious of the singer.


The uncle said he is no longer close to his brother because of a disagreement unrelated to Jackson. He has written a self-published book about the allegations.


The uncle said he made the recordings with his brother's knowledge, but that his brother was not involved in writing the book.


Jackson did not admit misconduct at the time of the settlement but said that he was settling the case because of its potential to harm his career. He has said repeatedly that he would never harm a child.


Earlier this month, "Dateline" reported that Jackson also paid $2 million to the son of an employee at his Neverland Ranch in 1990 to avoid a child-molestation accusation.


Jackson's spokeswoman, Raymone K. Bain, declined to comment Sunday.


In the current molestation case against Jackson, which involves another boy, the 46-year-old pop star has pleaded not guilty to committing a lewd act upon a child, administering an intoxicating agent, alcohol, and conspiracy to commit child abduction, false imprisonment and extortion.

Court documents detail potential evidence in Jackson case
Mood:  loud
From CNN Producer Dree deClamecy



LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- Court documents released Tuesday revealed some of the evidence that will be admitted -- and some that will likely get tossed -- later this month in the child molestation case against pop star Michael Jackson.

Santa Barbara Superior Court Judge Rodney S. Melville ordered the release of two documents -- a defense motion known as "Defendant's Items to be Suppressed" filed with the court August 19 and a "Stipulation of the Parties Regarding items Seized at Neverland Ranch" filed August 20.

These documents provide insight into what items of evidence are at issue in the case.

In late August, Melville announced he had "reviewed the evidence seized" and issued a tentative evidentiary ruling on over 100 pieces of specific evidence taken from Jackson's Neverland Ranch. However, he did not rule on the legalities surrounding the scope of the warrant or on how the raid was conducted.

At that time, he ruled 38 of the items "authorized" and asked for arguments from attorneys on eight other pieces of evidence he had concerns about. Those items will be taken up in a hearing scheduled for September 16.

The rest of the evidence was declared "suppressed," although Melville indicated a willingness to hear arguments on specific pieces of evidence excluded in his tentative ruling, asking attorneys to submit motions by September 3.

At the time of Melville's ruling, the evidence was identified only by the number. Tuesday's document release offers brief descriptions of most of the numbered evidence -- what the judge admitted, omitted and which he has questions about.

Tentatively admitted were at least a dozen computers with peripherals. Also admitted were a tissue, books, two bags, various paperwork (some with phone numbers and names), an audio cassette recorder and an audio cassette titled "Earth Song 6-8-89," keys to the master bedroom, an envelope, print ads and a letter.

All of these items were taken from Jackson's Neverland Ranch -- from the main residence, the downstairs cellar area of the arcade, the upstairs library, and the security office. Only one item was allowed from Jackson's personal office -- a black plastic case with phone recording equipment.

Among the eight evidentiary items the judge is seeking specific comment on are: legal paperwork and documents, a piece of paper with names and telephone numbers, several other pieces of paper, a camera and three videocassette tape recordings. All of the items were seized from the main house.

Melville appears poised to drop a variety of other evidence from the Neverland search.

Included in the tentative suppression list are photographs taken from the arcade at Neverland, additional photos found in a safe in an employee break room, a framed photo, a book on robotic dogs, a calendar for November 2003 with notations on a trip to South Africa, paperwork, a video tape, a Garden City Hotel bag, medicine bottles, a medical log, a vial, a magazine catering to the rich and famous, security and guest information, as well as daily entry logs for the ranch.

In another document released by the court Tuesday, Jackson defense attorney Robert Sanger complained bitterly about the Santa Barbara District Attorney's Office and demanded sanctions against it.

In a report to the court filed August 16, Sanger cited the prosecution's repeated failure to provide discovery to his client. The attorney accused prosecutors of denying Jackson his "ability to present his defense."

Sanger cited the Santa Barbara District Attorney's Office for withholding information necessary to Jackson's motions to suppress evidence in both the searches of Jackson's Neverland Ranch and private investigator Brad Miller's office.

He said newly provided information would cause Jackson's defense team to recall witnesses who have previously testified.

"The failure to timely produce discovery is an affront to this Court's directive to deliver information," Sanger wrote.

"The prosecution's blatant discovery abuse unnecessarily extends the hearing, thus wasting this court's time and resources. Sanctions are in order for the willful failure to produce discovery."

The fight over evidence and other matters will continue September 16 when court is back in session for at least two days of hearings.

Jackson is expected to attend September 17 when his accuser's mother is set to testify.




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CNN News Version

STATEMENT OF MR. MICHAEL JACKSON (RE: DATELINE NBC REPORT)
Mood:  hug me
Friday, September 03, 2004


It is unfortunate that yet, again, I must respond to untruths and sensationalism.

Years ago, I settled with certain individuals because I was concerned about my family and the media scrutiny that would have ensued if I fought the matter in court.

These people wanted to exploit my concern for children by threatening to destroy what I believe in and what I do. I have been a vulnerable target for those who want money.

I have spent my entire life helping millions of children across the world. I would never harm a child. It is unfortunate that some individuals have seen fit to come forward and make a complaint that is completely false.

Quite frankly, I question the timing and motive of this report.

I look forward to the day when I will be vindicated by a jury of my peers. Maybe then, these reports will come to an end.

SOURCE: TEAM MJJsource


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Welcome to MJJSource.com. The objective of this site is to provide the public and media official reports and exclusive interviews pertaining to the Michael Jackson case.

Report: Jackson paid 1990 accuser
Mood:  irritated

Alleged $2 million paid


LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Michael Jackson allegedly staved off a child molestation accusation in 1990 with a $2 million payment to the son of an employee at his Neverland Ranch, according to a television report.

The television news magazine by "Dateline NBC," which reported the payment in a segment to be broadcast Friday night, did not disclose its source of information.

In the segment, retired Santa Barbara County Sheriff Jim Thomas, now an NBC news analyst, said his office investigated Jackson in 1993 in connection with one boy's claim and came upon the second accusation.

The first boy reportedly was paid $15 million to $20 million by Jackson to avoid charges the entertainer thought would damage his career even if proved untrue.

Jackson has denied ever harming any child and is currently fighting charges he molested a boy in 2003.

Jackson's lawyer, Thomas Mesereau Jr., did not immediately return a call Thursday from The Associated Press. Lawyers in the current case are under a strict gag order.

"We always believed there were eight to 10 other children out there," Thomas told "Dateline."

But during interviews, he said, "Many of them said that they had spent time with Michael Jackson. They had spent time in his bedroom, but that nothing had happened. Some wouldn't talk to us at all."

Thomas told the AP the employee's son did not file charges and didn't want to testify "because he was afraid his friends would think he was homosexual."

Thomas has previously discussed the boy's claim, but said he wasn't sure until the Dateline report that Jackson had paid the boy $2 million.

"Dateline" said the settlement contained a clause barring it from being discussed publicly.

Thomas said the 12-year-old accused Jackson of "fondling him through his clothes," which could be the basis of misdemeanor charges. No charges were ever filed.

Both boys who accused Jackson in the 1990s are now in their 20s and are not expected to testify in the current case.

Jackson, 45, has pleaded not guilty to committing a lewd act upon a child, administering an intoxicating agent and conspiring to commit child abduction, false imprisonment and extortion. His trial is set to start January 31, 2005.



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Copyright 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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CNN Law Article Version

A Jackson Investigator's Controversial Find
Mood:  loud
Topic: Prosecutor Press Release
Friday, September 03, 2004

Courtesy Getty Images Hector Mata


June 29, 2004

Accused of 10 felony counts stemming from child molestation allegations, MICHAEL JACKSON remains free on $3 million bail, awaiting a trial that is expected to begin September 13.

Tonight on ET, we have more with retired LAPD officer BILL DWORIN on Jackson's similar 1993 case!

Back in 1993, Jackson came close to facing another situation when similar accusations surfaced about alleged misconduct with a 13-year-old boy, although formal charges were never filed -- in part because the child wouldn't testify in court. At the time, the child spoke to the LAPD's Sexually Exploited Child Unit, headed by the now-retired Dworin.

"He was not angry at anything, he was just wanting to get this out of the way," Dworin tells ET. "And based upon what he told us, we then obtained a search warrant for Mr. Jackson's ranch in Santa Barbara as well as a townhouse in Century City."

At the Neverland ranch, Dworin claims he found "numerous photographs of young boys." "We knew Jackson surrounded himself with boys and girls. But we also learned that he did not allow girls to visit the bedroom. It was just boys. We also found in a locked file cabinet, within Jackson's bedroom closet, a ... book depicting photographs of nude boys. Nothing illegal about these photographs. They're art-type images."

In Jackson's bedroom, Dworin also describes an alarm that was installed that made "some type of electric sound and a musical tone" when anyone entered the room. "Jackson set it up for a specific reason," says Dworin. "My opinion is to warn him when somebody was approaching the bedroom door."

Dworin says he interviewed more than 3,500 alleged child victims of abuse and exploitation over the course of his career. In this particular case, he says he believed the 13-year-old was credible because he offered detailed descriptions of Jackson's body, including his genitalia. Dworin then obtained a search warrant to photograph Jackson's body and found specific discolorations of the skin that reportedly matched the boy's descriptions. The boy also reportedly described activities to Dworin that occurred on an alleged trip with Jackson to Monaco, which Dworin claims, "had expanded to more than just the touchy feeling. It began with the kissing."

Dworin says that two other boys the same age were interviewed who had alleged improper touching by Jackson. "It was over the clothing, not skin on skin," says the retired officer. "What we consider child annoying rather than child molestation."

But after the boy at the center of the 1993 case decided not to testify in court and Jackson settled that multi-million-dollar civil suit, the criminal pursuit of the self-proclaimed king of pop came to an end.

"Once the primary victim decided not to testify based upon a civil settlement, the other children no longer had an interest in going forward with it," says Dworin.

The "Dateline" episode about Michael Jackson is causing some controversy.
Mood:  irritated
Topic: Prosecutor Press Release

Courtesy Getty Images Mark Mainz



A Michael Jackson Exclusive!

September 3, 2004

In a new, two-part "Dateline" report, airing Friday, September 3 (8 p.m. EDT, on NBC), new information is uncovered concerning what authorities discovered in their 1993 investigation of child molestation allegations against the ubiquitous MICHAEL JACKSON. Tonight on ET, we show you exclusive legal documents revealing the frightening threats made against NORMA SALINAS -- a former housekeeper and nanny of the original accuser's father and stepmother -- soon after she was interviewed by the newsmagazine.

In the document, Salinas said she received a phone call from a man who spoke good Spanish and told her: "I don't want you to be talking more about the Michael Jackson case ... I don't want you to give any interviews to any journalist, nor no one in relation to the press because, remember, you have a son that something can happen to."

In the "Dateline" piece, Salinas claims that in 1993 she worked for the original accuser's family. She also says she cared for their young children. In her exclusive interview with "Dateline," and for the first time in public, she speaks out about what she says she personally saw inside the boy's home, including an alleged overnight stay by the "King of Pop."

In the fascinating special, "Dateline" also speaks to NBC News Analyst and former Santa Barbara County sheriff JIM THOMAS, who reveals what the focus of the 1993 investigation was, and who exactly they were looking to find.

Jackson was last seen in court in August when Santa Barbara County District Attorney TOM SNEDDON, the man prosecuting him for child molestation, took the stand. Jackson's parents KATHERINE and JOSEPH, along with his siblings JANET, LaTOYA, RANDY, JACKIE and JERMAINE, were there in support of their brother.

Jackson is charged with committing a lewd act upon a child, administering an intoxicating agent and conspiring to commit child abduction, false imprisonment and extortion. He has pleaded not guilty and is free on $3 million bail. The pop star's trial is set to begin in January.

For more on the frightening death threats made against Norma Salinas, check out tonight's ET!

Joseph's book, Karens Statements
Mood:  happy
Michael's dad has written a tell all book: The Jacksons. That man nfuriates me....Michael doesn't need this right now. Joseph is once again using his son to get in the spotlight...when will he ever stop. The book jacket for "The Jacksons" has only one image on it: that of Michael's famous dancing feet in white socks and black patent leather shoes. On his Web site, the Jackson dad also features a link alled "Discography" in which he lists all of the albums ever made by any of his kids including Michael's "Thriller" and Janet's "Velvet Rope." It's unclear if he thinks he produced, wrote, or sang the songs on them. The book will be published by Random House Entertainment in Germany next week, with Jackson senior set to go on a big book-signing promotional tour that will eventually take him to the Frankfurt Book Festival in late September.

It unclear whether or not it will be published in America.

Judge refuses to reduce Michael Jackson's $3 million bail
Mood:  irritated
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A judge refused to reduce Michael Jackson's $3 million bail on child molestation charges, citing the entertainer's enormous wealth and a one-time alleged plan to take his accuser's family to Brazil, according to a ruling made public Wednesday.

"Defendant has the ability to hire private jets and has frequently traveled beyond the borders of the United States," said Tuesday's written ruling by Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge Rodney Melville.

The judge said a secret grand jury transcript "provides detailed evidence" that Jackson tried to arrange for the family of the boy he is accused of molesting to travel to Brazil, and family statements indicated "this was being done against their will."

Jackson said he would join them in Brazil, according to the ruling.

"Assuming this evidence to be true, it demonstrates both the seriousness of the crime and the manner in which defendant handles situations perceived to be difficult," the ruling said.

The judge also noted that Jackson once sought the return of his passport from authorities in order to travel to England.

While he never made the trip, Jackson still might seek to leave the country before his January 31 trial and "no amount less than $3 million would provide a financial incentive to return and appear for hearings and trial," Melville wrote.

Jackson's attorney did not immediately return a call seeking comment. Lawyers on both sides are under a gag order.

Jackson, 45, has pleaded not guilty to committing a lewd act upon a child, administering an intoxicating agent and conspiring to commit child abduction, false imprisonment and extortion.

In seeking the bail reduction, the defense had cited Jackson's charitable contributions, lack of criminal record and ties to Santa Barbara County.

The judge acknowledged Jackson's ties to the community where the case was filed, but added that he is "uniquely a person who has similarly significant ties across the country and around the world."

The judge also noted that after a police search, Jackson once announced he would no longer be living at his Neverland estate.

Jackson has no prior criminal record. But the judge said that was "partially offset" by previous allegations of child molestation, a reference to a 1993 criminal investigation that never led to charges.

In the earlier case, Melville said, prosecution "may have been derailed by a private settlement with the alleged victim." Jackson did not acknowledge misconduct but said at the time that he was settling the case because of its potential to harm his career.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Copyright 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.



Find this article at: CNN Law Article

Inside Michael Jackson's Birthday Bash
Mood:  party time!

UPDATED: 6:21 PM PDT

August 31, 2004


Access Hollwyood
Tito Jackson was all smiles at brother Michael's birthday celebration.

Happy birthday, Michael Jackson!

The King of Pop turned 46 on Sunday and had the whole family by his side to celebrate.

Michael, his three children, brother Tito, sister Janet and a few other family members all hopped in a white SUV limo and headed out for a low-key dinner to celebrate on Sunday at the Noe Restaurant at the Omni Hotel in L.A.

Access Hollywood was allowed to slip in the back door to catch a glimpse of the festivities and even a chance to talk with Tito Jackson.

"Everybody's here ? mom, dad, brothers, sisters," Tito told us. "Just to have a little dinner."

The birthday boy was dressed in a diamond studded red shirt and black pants for the affair, while Janet donned a cream top and straw beach hat with beau Jermaine Dupri on her arm.

Janet and Jermaine were not part of the limo ride, however, choosing instead to arrive in a white Aston Martin sports car.

The dinner was orchestrated by head chef Robert Gadsby, a personal friend of Jermaine Jackson.

Access was in the kitchen as chef Robert prepared an 11-course meal, including course three ? his world famous gingered butternut squash soup.

"It's a good meal and I'm going back to eat some more," joked Tito.

This dinner was strictly a family affair, unlike Michael's birthday party last year. Thrown by Michael's fans and hosted by comedian and Jackson friend Steve Harvey, more than 1,000 Jackson fanatics turned out for the event.


Source from Access Hollywood & Shamika manager of
Michael Is INNOCENT

Don't Blame Me! I'm Just Doing My Job
Mood:  sharp
Tuesday, 24 August 2004

by Obiechena

When it comes to reporting anything on Michael Jackson these days, you're likely to have at least one commentator lamenting about how Jackson's backers/supporters/insiders--whatever you wish to call them--enjoy making unfounded allegations about the media and their carefully crafted coverage of the music legend. The press predictably cries foul and say it is pro-Jacksonites who are in the wrong. Apart from the massive spin cycles through which all things Jackson are run, the press will repeatedly tell you that they are just doing their jobs and reporting the news.

Their news or the news?

Take the coverage dedicated to last week's court proceedings in the Jackson case for example. Several witnesses were called by the defense to clarify whether Santa Barbara District Attorney Thomas Sneddon knew, or should have reasonably known, that private investigator Bradley Miller worked for former Jackson counsel Mark Geragos. Defense attorneys are attempting to show the prosecutor knew of the Miller-Geragos connection, which would deem the raid of the gumshoe's Beverly Hills office a violation of Jackson's attorney-client privilege.

To read the complete article, visit our Case Files section by clicking on:

MJJForum Article

Probe casts doubt on Jackson's claim he was injured during arrest
Mood:  irritated
Topic: Mishandled

Tue Aug 24, 8:21 PM ET


LOS ANGELES (AFP) - A state investigation has found that pop star Michael Jackson's claims that he was manhandled and injured during his arrest on child abuse charges were false, police said.


Santa Barbara Sheriff Jim Anderson said an investigation by the California Attorney General and the state's Bureau of Investigation had concluded that Jackson was not injured during his November 19 arrest.


"After interviewing 163 witnesses and expending an excess of 2,500 investigative hours, the California Bureau of Investigation determined that Mr Jackson was not injured at the hands of Santa Barbara Sheriffs Department personnel," Anderson told a press conference.


"The investigation also concluded there was no criminal conduct on the part of Sheriffs Department personnel during their contact with Mr Jackson," he added.


But the sheriff declined to say whether he would now pursue criminal charges against Jackson for making the allegations, as he had earlier warned he might do if the charges were proved false.


Anderson said he was prevented from expounding on his statement by a strict gag order surrounding Jackson's child molestation case that is being heard in Santa Maria, in California's Santa Barbara County.


Jackson had claimed during an interview broadcast on the American CBS television network in December that his shoulder had been dislocated and his wrists and back hurt when his hands were cuffed behind his back when he turned himself in for arrest.


"They manhandled me very roughly, my shoulder is dislocated literally, it is hurting very badly," the "King of Pop" said before showing photographs apparently showing severe bruising to his right arm.


He also claimed he was locked in a toilet in the sheriff's department for 45 minutes when he surrendered to be arrested, booked and photographed on charges he molested a 12-year-old boy at his Neverland Ranch.


But Anderson insisted Tuesday that the results of the official investigation into the allegations had vindicated his department and showed that Jackson had been treated in a "in a professional manner."


Jackson has not yet made any statement is response to the results of the California investigation. Any statement would have to be cleared in advance by trial Judge Rodney Melville.


Jackson, 45, has pleaded innocent to a 10-count indictment that includes charges of child molestation, giving alcohol to a minor, as well as conspiracies to kidnap, illegally imprison and extort his alleged victim. He is free on three million dollars bail.

Judge rules that some Neverland evidence can't be used against Jackson
Mood:  celebratory
Tue Aug 24, 9:12 AM ET


SANTA MARIA, California (AFP) - The judge in pop icon Michael Jackson's child abuse case tentatively ruled that scores of items of evidence seized at his Neverland Ranch cannot be used against him at trial.


Judge Rodney Melville made the preliminary ruling on the fifth and final day of a hearing in which the "King of Pop's" lawyers battled to get key evidence discounted ahead of his trial in order to weaken the prosecution case.


His decision came after prosecutors called two final witnesses in an attempt to rebut claims by defense lawyers and members of staff at Jackson's Neverland Ranch that investigators overstepped the authority of their search warrant when they swooped on the ranch on November 18 last year.


The judge said that of 120 items of evidence Jackson's defense team wanted thrown out, he was inclined to disallow more than 70 of them from trial.


He said that unless prosecutors and defense lawyers convinced him otherwise in written arguments, he would allow the trial jury to see only 34 pieces of the contested evidence.


"I am making this tentative ruling for the purpose of arguments and objections," the judge told the court at the end of the marathon pre-trial hearing. "It is my intent to suppress the remaining material."


He added that he wanted to see written arguments on whether eight other items seized in the Neverland swoop had been taken legally in order for him to decide whether to admit them into evidence.


Lawyers for both sides have until September 3 to submit their arguments ahead of the next hearing in the case, scheduled for September 16. Jackson's much-anticipated trial is scheduled for January 30.


Jackson's team contend that police and prosecution investigators seized evidence in areas of Neverland that they were not entitled to search under the terms of the warrant executed the day before Jackson's November 19 arrest on child molestation charges.



But journalists and legal observers present in court in Santa Maria, near Neverland, were left guessing as to the significance of the evidence tentatively thrown out by the judge on Monday.


Thousands of pieces of evidence were seized in a series on raids against properties linked to Jackson and little is publicly known about the nature of the items, except that several of them are computers and computer discs.


Much of the meat of the case has been obscured by a strict veil of secrecy that has kept documents, including details of the charges against Jackson, under seal.


On Monday, the prosecution called two law enforcement officers to cast doubt on claims by two senior Neverland staffers last week that officers had been aware they were exceeding the scope of the search warrant.


Jalaine Hogue, a criminal investigator with Santa Barbara District attorney's office contradicted Neverland property manager Joe Marcus's claim that he tried to stop the officers from exceeding their authority.


She said she conducted a 1.5 hour recorded interview with Marcus on the day of the raid and said that he never complained or mentioned any concerns about police going beyond scope of the search warrant.


And Santa Barbara Sheriff's Department Lieutenant Russell Birchim was called to testify in an effort by prosecutors to indicate that the search of the entire building in which Neverland's security headquarters was housed was justified.


Birchim, who became familiar with the building in 1993 when he helped investigate the first child molestation allegations against Jackson, said he told prosecutors that the office defense lawyers contend was Jackson's office had been largely devoted to security in 1993.


The defense insists that the search warrant did not include permission to search Jackson's office, only his security headquarters.

Birchim said he was present in the building in December 1993 when Jackson's genitals were photographed by authorities as evidence in the case against him that later collapsed.

Jackson, 45, has pleaded innocent to a 10-count indictment that includes charges of child molestation, giving alcohol to a minor, as well as conspiracies to kidnap, illegally imprison and extort his alleged victim, who was 12 at the time. He is free on three million dollars bail.

Sheriff Pleased With Jackson Arrest Probe
Mood:  irritated
Topic: Mishandled
Tue Aug 24, 7:10 PM ET

By LINDA DEUTSCH, AP Special Correspondent

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The Santa Barbara County sheriff said Tuesday he was vindicated by a state attorney general's report that found no evidence deputies and jail staff manhandled Michael Jackson (news) during his arrest on child molestation charges.


The report concluded there was no criminal conduct during the sheriff's department's contact with Jackson, Sheriff Jim Anderson said at a news conference.


The finding had been leaked to the media more than a week ago.


"After interviewing 163 witnesses and expending in excess of 2,500 investigative hours, the California Bureau of Investigation determined that Mr. Jackson was not injured at the hands of Santa Barbara Sheriff's Department personnel," Anderson said.


Jackson claimed in a December "60 Minutes" interview that he was handled roughly during the Nov. 20 arrest. The sheriff denied the allegations but called for an investigation.


"The findings of the attorney general's investigation have provided a clear vindication of our personnel who were involved in the arrest and booking of Mr. Jackson," Anderson said.


He declined to answer when asked if he planned to charge Jackson with making false claims. "I'm under court order not to take questions," he said.


Jackson attorney Thomas Mesereau Jr. said in court last week that Jackson never made a formal complaint about his treatment or requested an investigation, although he had bruises and received medical treatment.


Jackson, 45, is scheduled to go on trial Jan. 31. He has pleaded not guilty to committing a lewd act upon a child, administering an intoxicating agent and conspiring to commit child abduction, false imprisonment and extortion. He is free on $3 million bail.

Jackson Judge OKs 39 Pieces of Evidence
Mood:  don't ask

Tue Aug 24,12:26 PM ET

By LINDA DEUTSCH, AP Special Correspondent

SANTA MARIA, Calif. - After testimony from a dozen key witnesses in the Michael Jackson (news) child molestation case, the judge issued tentative rulings on evidence seized in a search of Jackson's Neverland estate.


Superior Court Judge Rodney Melville said Monday he was inclined to admit 39 pieces of evidence and is "concerned" about at least a dozen other items that he may order suppressed.


The items were referred to in court by numbers only and it was impossible to decipher what most of them were.


Minimal search warrant data previously released indicated the evidence tentatively admitted included several computer hard drives and a cassette recorder and audio tape found in a safe in Jackson's bathroom. A witness said the tape contained a child's voice.


The numbers used for items the judge expressed concern about indicated they included documents potentially covered by attorney-client privilege.


The judge said he also was inclined to suppress a number of items he did not list and no hints were given as to what they contained.


He said none of his rulings was final and he would give the defense and prosecution the opportunity to present legal arguments in written briefs and at the next series of court hearings on Sept. 16 and 17. Melville said the written briefs would be filed under seal.


Monday's final testimony in the five-day suppression hearing focused on the Neverland search. The prosecution called witnesses in an effort to overcome defense testimony that authorities took items from areas of Jackson's property that were not specified in the search warrant, and that they ignored protests by Jackson's employees.


Jalaine Hogue, a district attorney's investigator, testified she interviewed Jackson's property manager, Joseph Marcus, and said he never expressed unwillingness to be interviewed and never complained about the scope of the search.


Hogue also testified Marcus never mentioned that Jackson attorney Steve Cochran was at the gate of the estate demanding admittance during the search.


Before the search, Hogue said, she and others were gathered together by sheriff's detectives and given a packet of information relating the allegations of Jackson's accuser and a list of questions to ask his employees. Defense attorneys indicated that material has not been turned over to them.


A second witness, sheriff's Lt. Russell Birchim, said he was involved in a previous search of Neverland in 1993 and was consulted by District Attorney Tom Sneddon before the 2003 search in order to figure out where certain buildings were located.


Jackson, 45, has pleaded not guilty to charges of committing a lewd act upon a child, administering an intoxicating agent and conspiring to commit child abduction, false imprisonment and extortion. Free on $3 million bail, Jackson is set to go on trial Jan. 31.