13. Mai: "they were going to shake him down" - Geragos sagt aus

[elli]

Geragos: Surveillance ordered on accuser's family
Attorney says he was concerned pop star might be victimized

Friday, May 13, 2005 Posted: 2136 GMT (0536 HKT)

SANTA MARIA, California (CNN) -- Celebrity criminal attorney Mark Geragos said Friday that he ordered surveillance on the family of Michael Jackson's teenage accuser because he was "gravely concerned" that they might be scheming to extract money from the pop star.

"I was trying to prevent a crime against my client," Geragos told jurors in Jackson's child molestation trial. "I thought they were going to shake him down."

Geragos said he asked private investigator Brad Miller to keep tabs on the family to find out "where they were, what they were doing and who they were meeting with." He also asked Miller to record a statement with the family so that they would be "locked into" their version of events and could not later change their story.

He described the results of Miller's investigation of the family as "negative," and he said he concluded, "Michael should have nothing to do with them."

"It was a pending train wreck," he said.

However, Geragos denied involvement in any conspiracy to hold the family against their will, as the prosecution alleges.

Testifying for the defense, Geragos said he was hired to represent Jackson in February 2003, during what he described as a "whirlwind" after the entertainer appeared in "Living With Michael Jackson," an unflattering television documentary by British journalist Martin Bashir.

Jackson replaced Geragos in April 2004 with his current attorney, Thomas Mesereau Jr.

At the time, Geragos was in the middle of representing Scott Peterson -- later sentenced to death for the murder of his pregnant wife, Laci -- and Jackson said he made the decision because "it is imperative that I have the full attention of those who are representing me."
Geragos 'pulled the plug' on TV interview

In Bashir's documentary, Jackson was shown holding hands with a then-13-year-old boy now accusing him of molestation. The singer defended his practice of letting children sleep with him in his bed. The program set off an international media firestorm.

"People were making all kinds of allegations ... specifically about one young man, and I was to look into that," Geragos said. His "first concern" was whether the state Division of Children and Family Services might try to take away Jackson's three children.

Shortly after being hired, Geragos went to Jackson's Neverland Ranch for his planned interview with "60 Minutes" journalist Ed Bradley. While there, he said, a Jackson associate told him things about the boy and his family "that were giving me great pause" -- particularly the fact that the boy was calling Jackson "daddy."

Geragos said he had a conversation with Jackson objecting to how the boy was referring to him. He said he eventually "pulled the plug" on the interview.

"It was not going to happen," he said.

Geragos also testified that he had associates in his office perform a database search, which turned up a lawsuit the boy's family filed against J.C. Penney, alleging that they had been mistreated in an altercation with the retailer's security guards. The family received a $155,000 settlement in that case in 2000, according to earlier trial testimony.

Geragos said the J.C. Penney case raised alarm bells because "my client is frequently the target of litigation."

However, under prosecution questioning, Geragos said he never advised Jackson that he should stop sleeping with children.

"I wasn't there to give him advice about that," he said.
Money for rebuttal program

Earlier Friday, David LeGrand, Jackson's former business attorney, retook the stand for more questioning, after testifying much of Thursday.

LeGrand said he was involved in the decision to bring Geragos on board to represent Jackson. During the media outcry over the documentary, LeGrand said, he and other Jackson associates "were concerned" that the pop star needed a criminal attorney.

LeGrand also was questioned Friday about a company he helped set up, the Fire Mountain Corp., which received $3 million that the Fox TV network paid Jackson for a program rebutting Bashir's documentary.

Prosecutor Gordon Auchincloss pressed LeGrand on whether Fire Mountain had been set up to keep the money away from Bank of America, which had first priority on any new Jackson income to repay the debt he owed to the bank.

"It was not my intent to conceal," LeGrand said. "It was my intent to protect the cash flow."

Jackson was indicted last year on 10 felony counts for incidents that include a lewd act on a child; conspiracy to commit abduction, false imprisonment and extortion; and the use of an intoxicant before the commission of a felony.

Jackson has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

http://edition.cnn.com/2005/LAW/05/13/jackson.trial/index.html

[elli]

Jackson-Prozess: Star-Anwalt sieht
"*****" als "reife Zielscheibe" für Klagen
Pop-Star sei "fast kindlich in seiner Liebe für Kinder"
PLUS: Alle Informationen zum "Gerichtsfall Jackson"!
Michael Jacksons früherer Anwalt, Star- Verteidiger Mark Geragos, hat am Freitag in Santa Maria (Kalifornien) als Zeuge für die Verteidigung ausgesagt. Jackson habe ihm versichert, dass nichts Sexuelles ablaufe, wenn Kinder bei ihm im Bett übernachten würden, sagte Geragos vor der Jury.

Nach Angaben des Senders MSNBC beschrieb er den wegen Kindesmissbrauchs angeklagten Popstar als "Gentleman, der fast kindlich in seiner Liebe für Kinder wirkte". Geragos, der zuvor Hollywoodstars wie Winona Ryder und Robert Downey Jr. in Prozessen vertreten hatte, war im Februar 2003 für Jackson tätig geworden. Ein gutes Jahr später wurde er durch Jacksons jetzigen Anwalt Thomas Mesereau ersetzt. Geragos war aus Sicht des Popstars zu sehr mit anderen Verfahren beschäftigt.

Geragos stand Jackson im Frühjahr 2003 zur Seite, als die britische Dokumentation "Living with Michael Jackson" die juristische Lawine gegen den früheren "King of Pop" ins Rollen brachte. Der Sänger ist darin Hand in Hand mit dem jetzt 15 Jahre alten Jungen zu sehen, der ihn des sexuellen Missbrauchs beschuldigt. Schlagzeilen machte vor allem Jacksons Bekenntnis, dass Jungen bei ihm im Bett übernachten würden.

Geragos sah den Entertainer als ein "reife Zielscheibe" für mögliche Klagen. Die Mutter von Jacksons Beschuldiger sei ihm verdächtig vorgekommen, als er herausfand, dass sie zuvor bereits Schadenersatzklagen gegen ein Warenhaus geführt hatte, sagte Geragos. Er habe die Frau überwachen lassen, um ein mögliches "Verbrechen gegen meinen Klienten (Jackson) zu verhüten". Geragos stritt vehement ab, dass eine Verschwörung im Gange war, die Familie zu entführen oder zu erpressen.

Die Anklage sieht den Sänger gemeinsam mit seine Mitarbeitern als Drahtzieher von kriminellen Handlungen. Neben sexuellen Missbrauchs eines heute 15 Jahre alten Jungen im Frühjahr 2003 wird dem 46- Jährigen auch vorgeworfen, den Jungen und dessen Familie gegen deren Willen auf dem Neverland-Anwesen festgehalten zu haben. Zudem soll er sie unter Druck gesetzt haben, sich in einem Video positiv über ihn zu äußern.

http://www.networld.at/index.html?/articles/0519/40/112194.shtml

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Hier neben der Aussage von Geragos am Schluß noch Infos bezüglich eines potentiellen Zeugen. Er -Gärtner auf Neverland - will angeblich aussagen, dass er eine Affäre mit Gavins Schwester hatte. Die soll ihm berichtet haben, dass ihre Mutter und deren Freund "etwas großes" in bezug auf MJ planten. Ausserdem nannte sie ihre Mutter ihm gegenüber "Psycho Mom" und sagte, sie (die Mutter) sei "nicht ok im Kopf", sie würde sie zwingen, etwas zu tun und, dass etwas schlechtes passieren würde.
HUI!

Lawyer: Jackson Said Nothing Happened

By TIM MOLLOY, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 4 minutes ago

SANTA MARIA, Calif. —
Michael Jackson's former attorney took the stand in the pop star's child molestation trial, testifying he investigated the accuser's family and became "gravely concerned" about them as a threat to his client.


Mark Geragos told jurors Friday that he had both researched the family himself and hired a private investigator to check their background. The findings, Geragos said, disturbed him.

"Michael should have nothing to do with them," he said. "It was a pending disaster."

Geragos testified under cross-examination that he had asked Jackson if the boy slept in his bed and the entertainer had answered yes.

"He said he didn't do anything untoward or sexual and if anyone spent the night in his room it was unconditional love," Geragos said.

Geragos said an initial visit to Jackson's Neverland Ranch made him worry that his client would be a prey for possible allegations.
Hier neben der Aussage von Geragos am Schluß noch Infos bezüglich eines potentiellen Zeugen. Er -Gärtner auf Neverland - will angeblich aussagen, dass er eine Affäre mit Gavins Schwester hatte. Die soll ihm berichtet haben, dass ihre Mutter und deren Freund "etwas großes" in bezug auf MJ planten.
"When I was there what I saw was a gentleman who was almost childlike in his love for kids. I didn't see anyone doing anything nefarious or criminal. I saw someone who was ripe as a target," he said.

Geragos said he was hired about the time of the February 2003 airing of a documentary in which Jackson appeared with his now-accuser. In the documentary, Jackson said that he let children sleep in his bed but that it was non-sexual.

Under questioning by Jackson attorney Thomas Mesereau Jr., Geragos said he was concerned about allegations spawned by the documentary and was particularly concerned that the boy or his family might take advantage of them.

He said he conducted database searches to see if the family had a "litigious history" and was disturbed to find they had sued J.C. Penney over allegations they were beaten by security guards. The family received a $150,000 settlement.

"I was gravely concerned," Geragos said.

Geragos said he hired a private investigator to look into the family, and the results led him to believe the family was bad news.

"Michael should have nothing to do with them," he said. "It was a pending disaster."

Mesereau asked Geragos if he was aware of any crime committed against the family. Geragos said no.

"I was trying to prevent a crime against my client," he said. "I thought that they were going to shake him down."

Geragos worked for Jackson until he was replaced in April 2004.

At one point, Geragos declined to answer a prosecution question on grounds that Jackson only waived attorney-client privilege concerning events before his arrest in November 2003, surprising Judge Rodney S. Melville and prosecutors.

The judge sent the jury out of the room to address "the misrepresentation Mr. Mesereau has made to the court and counsel." The judge said he believed it was a total waiver of the privilege.

Mesereau apologized, saying he did not think events after Jackson's arrest were relevant.

Geragos did not complete his testimony before court recessed for the weekend. The judge scheduled him to return on May 20.

Jackson, 46, is accused of molesting a 13-year-old cancer patient in February or March 2003 and plying him with wine. He is also accused of conspiring to hold the boy's family captive to get them to make a video rebutting the documentary.

Late Friday, both sides filed documents concerning potentially important testimony by a Neverland employee who claims the accuser's sister confided to him that her mother and the mother's boyfriend were planning "something big" regarding Jackson.

The witness, Angel Vivanco, whom prosecutors described as having a "quasi-sexual relationship" with the sister while she was at Neverland, would testify that the girl referred to her mother as "Psycho Mom" and said she was "not OK in the head."

Among statements he attributed to the sister were that the mother was "making her do something" and that "something bad is going to happen."

The prosecution seeks to bar the statements from the trial as hearsay. The defense says they support the theory that the family planned to allege molestation to get money from Jackson.

The mother and sister testified that the family was held against their will at Neverland.

___

Special Correspondent Linda Deutsch contributed to this report.