SANTA MARIA : A son of late acting legend Marlon Brando was
implicated in an alleged plot by Michael Jackson to kidnap the boy
who accused him of child molestation, a court heard Friday.
The bombshell was dropped during a pre-trial hearing in Jackson's
child molestation case when prosecutors revealed they had recently
discovered documents linking Miko Brando with the alleged
crime.
Brando, 44, the son of the Oscar-winning movie giant, works as a
security guard for the "King of Pop" and received a 20,000-dollar
petty cash payment from Jackson, prosecutor Ronald Zonen told Judge
Rodney Melville.
A record of the alleged December 2003 transaction was discovered in
documents seized in a search of the home of Jackson's personal
assistant, the court heard.
"Evidence of the movement of cash (is) consistent with count one of
the indictment" against Jackson, Zonen told the court as
prosecutors and Jackson's lawyers haggled over what evidence should
be allowed at trial.
Count one on the 10-count criminal indictment is that Jackson and
his alleged co-conspirators planned to abduct a child, to falsely
imprison someone and to extort someone.
While details of the indictment remain secret under a strict gag
order in the case, the charges are thought to involve an alleged
plot to abduct Jackson's young accuser, his younger brother and the
boys' mother.
But Jackson lawyer Robert Sanger, arguing that the financial record
should not be seen by Jackson's trial jury, said the payment proved
nothing.
"There is nothing unusual with someone like Michael Jackson, with
such a large operation like Neverland, to have 20,000 dollars in
cash delivered to them for the purpose of running their daily
affairs," Sanger said.
Jackson's legal team wants a battery of documents seized from the
home of Jackson's personal assistant ruled inadmissible as evidence
at trial, while prosecutors are fighting to have it included.
Also among the seized documents that the two sides sparred over
Friday was what prosecutors said was evidence that Jackson had
"orchestrated" demonstrations by fans outside the courtroom in
Santa Maria, California.
Jackson has turned up in court several times since January and
thousands of screaming fans have also appeared to support their
hero against what they say are false allegations against him.
Another of the disputed sets of documents Jackson's lawyers want
kicked out of evidence is a calendar indicating Jackson, 46, was at
his Neverland ranch when certain material was downloaded off the
Internet that prosecutors said could corroborate evidence that will
be given by Jackson's accuser.
Judge Melville said he would rule on whether the various items
would be admitted into evidence at Jackson's trial, due to start
here on January 31, but said he was not inclined to admit evidence
of Jackson's alleged involvement in organising demonstrations in
support of him as it appeared irrelevant.
Jackson is charged with molesting a 12-year-old boy at his
Neverland Ranch, near here, in February and March of last
year.
He was arrested on November 19, 2003 and freed on three million
dollars' bail.
In April, he pleaded innocent to charges including child abuse,
plying a minor with alcohol and conspiring to kidnap, illegally
imprison and extort his alleged victim or his family.
The judge, growing impatient at one point during the second day of
a two-day pre-trial hearing on Friday, said he was determined that
jury selection should begin in the trial on January 31.
At one point Melville cut Sanger off, saying: "You notice how
grumpy I get at 4:30 in the afternoon. It's a good time to shut
up," he said ordering both sides to properly share information with
each other.
The next hearing in the case is likely to be November 22. -
AFP