Conspiracy Payoff Alleged in Jackson Case
July 14, 2004 -- Prosecutors in the child molestation case against Michael Jackson have evidence he paid massive amounts of money to five associates, and they contend these were payoffs for aiding in a conspiracy to silence Jackson's alleged victim and his family, ABC News has learned.
Jackson has pleaded not guilty to 10 charges that include felony conspiracy with 28 overt acts involving child abduction, false imprisonment, and extortion. The conspiracy charge against Jackson refers to his alleged attempts through associates to quiet the alleged victim and his family.
The alleged victim in the case is believed to be a cancer survivor, now 14 years old, who spent time at Jackson's Neverland ranch and appeared in the British documentary Living With Michael Jackson, which was broadcast on ABC last year. Sources tell ABC News the five Jackson associates who received money have all been named as unindicted co-conspirators by Tom Sneddon, the district attorney for Santa Barbara County, Calif.
The prosecutor alleges the five Jackson associates played various roles in surveilling the alleged victim's family, taking the boy and his siblings out of school and making them virtual prisoners of "The King of Pop" after the documentary aired.
Sources tell ABC News the unindicted co-conspirators are Vinnie Amen and Frank Tyson, who both worked for Jackson at Neverland; Jackson financial advisers Dieter Wiesner and Ron Konitzer; and Mark Shaffel, a video producer who, sources have previously told ABCNEWS, dealt with the alleged victim's family after they appeared in Living With Michael Jackson.
According to sources, prosecutors say they have evidence Tyson got $1 million in cash from Jackson and that the four other associates received hundreds of thousands of dollars.
‘Disprovable and Laughable’
Joe Tacopina, Tyson's attorney, denied that his client played any role in an alleged conspiracy or received any payoff from Jackson.
"It's disprovable, but it's also laughable," Tacopina said.
Tacopina said Tyson did pick up $1 million in cash from the bank for Jackson on one occasion but only delivered it to the pop star. The money, Tacopina insisted, belonged to Jackson, and Tyson never spent it.
According to Tacopina, Tyson had a letter from Jackson authorizing the pickup and delivery of the money.
"That is how he [Jackson] got his cash," Tacopina said. "It wasn't something that was common for Michael to walk into a bank and take out large cash withdrawals. He had one of his confidants, employees, friends, i.e., Frank Tyson, go and do that for him. They're [prosecutors] looking at the transaction with blinders on. They're saying, "Aha! You know Michael Jackson permitted Frank Tyson to take $1 million, it was a thank you.' "
Tacopina said it was not unusual for Jackson to have large sums cash available.
"You know, maybe Michael needed a million dollars because he wanted to put two more Ferris wheels in his back yard and buy another car," Tacopina said. "Who knows? But it's not really something that the average person can relate to. That does not make it criminal."
Legitimate Business Deals Alleged
The four other unindicted alleged co-conspirators in the case also deny being paid to intimidate Jackson's alleged victim's family and call the allegations ridiculous, sources told ABC News. They say that any payments to them were made as part of legitimate business deals, many of which predated the molestation case against Jackson.
Besides conspiracy, Jackson has pleaded not guilty to committing lewd acts upon a child; attempting to commit a lewd act; and administering an intoxicating agent to a child. Prosecutors and defense attorneys are scheduled to argue over the suppression of evidence at a hearing set to begin Aug. 16. Santa Barbara Superior Court Judge Rodney Melville ruled that Jackson would not have to appear at this hearing.
An initial trial date for Jackson has been set for Sept. 13.
Reported by ABC News' Jessica Yellin on Good Morning America.